1027 Aesculapia
1027 Aesculapia, provisional designation, is a Themistian asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 33 kilometers in diameter.
It was discovered on 11 November 1923, by Belgian–American astronomer George Van Biesbroeck at Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, United States. It is named for Aesculapius, the god of medicine in Greek mythology.
Classification and orbit
Aesculapia is a member of the Themis family, a dynamical group of carbonaceous outer-belt asteroids which are known for their nearly coplanar ecliptical orbits. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.7–3.6 AU once every 5 years and 7 months. Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.13 and an inclination of 1° with respect to the ecliptic.In 1889, it was first identified as at Harvard Observatory's Boyden Station in Arequipa, Peru. The body's observation arc begins at Heidelberg in 1908, when it was identified as, 15 years prior to its official discovery observation at Williams Bay.
Diameter and albedo
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, the Japanese Akari satellite, and NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Aesculapia measures between 31.225 and 38.55 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has an albedo between and 0.06 and 0.129.The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives an albedo of 0.075 and a diameter of 32.05 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 10.9. Despite the body's low albedo, CALL classifies Aesculapia as a S-type rather than a C-type asteroid.