327 Columbia
327 Columbia is a stony asteroid from the middle region of the asteroid belt, approximately 26 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 22 March 1892, by French astronomer Auguste Charlois at Nice Observatory in southeast France. It is named after Christopher Columbus.
Description
Columbia orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.6–2.9 AU once every 4 years and 8 months. Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.06 and an inclination of 7° with respect to the ecliptic. The body's observation arc begins the night after its official discovery at Nice.Physical characteristics
In the SMASS taxonomy, Columbia has been characterized as a Sl-type, an intermediary between the common S-type and rather rare L-type asteroids.Rotation period and spin axis
In May 2003, a rotational lightcurve of Columbia was obtained by French amateur astronomer René Roy. It gave a rotation period of 5.93 hours with a brightness variation of 0.16 magnitude. In February 2007, photometric observations by his college Pierre Antonini gave a well defined period of 5.9320 hours and an amplitude of 0.42.In 2016, a modeled lightcurve was derived from various photometric database sources, giving a concurring period of 5.93183 hours and a spin axis of in ecliptic coordinates.