3908 Nyx

3908 Nyx

Discovery
Discovered by	Hans-Emil Schuster
Discovery date	August 6, 1980
Designations
Named after	Nyx
Alternate name(s)	1980 PA; 1988 XB1
Minor planet category	Amor; Mars-crosser
Adjective	Nyctian
Orbital characteristics
Epoch June 14, 2006 (JD 2453900.5)
Aphelion	420.707 Gm (2.812 AU)
Perihelion	156.151 Gm (1.044 AU)
Semi-major axis	288.429 Gm (1.928 AU)
Eccentricity	0.459
Orbital period	977.843 d (2.68 a)
Average orbital speed	20.27 km/s
Mean anomaly	218.206°
Inclination	2.180°
Longitude of ascending node	261.560°
Argument of perihelion	126.177°
Proper orbital elements
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	1.04 ± 0.16 km
Mass	1.0–8.4×1012 kg
Mean density	2.0? g/cm³
Equatorial surface gravity	0.0003–0.0006 m/s²
Escape velocity	0.0005–0.0011 km/s
Rotation period	4.42601 h
Albedo	0.10?
Temperature	~200? K
Spectral type	V
Absolute magnitude (H)	17.4

3908 Nyx is an Amor and Mars-crosser asteroid. It was discovered by Hans-Emil Schuster on August 6, 1980, and is named after Nyx, the Greek goddess of the night, after which Pluto's moon Nix is also named. It is 1–2 km in diameter and is a V-type asteroid, meaning that it may be a fragment of the asteroid 4 Vesta.

In 2000, radar observations conducted at the Arecibo and Goldstone observatories produced a model of Nyx's shape; the asteroid can best be described as spherical but with many protruding lumps.

To avoid confusion with 3908 Nyx, Pluto's moon Nix was changed from the initial proposal of the classical spelling Nyx, to Nix.^[1]

See also

• V-type asteroid
• HED meteorite
• 4 Vesta
• 4055 Magellan
• 3551 Verenia

References

1. ^ "Planet and Satellite Names and Discoverers". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology. July 21, 2006. http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/append7.html. Retrieved 2006-08-15.