349 Dembowska

349 Dembowska is a large asteroid of the main belt, discovered on 9 December 1892, by the French astronomer Auguste Charlois while working at the observatory in Nice, France.^[5] It is named in honor of the Baron Hercules Dembowski, an Italian astronomer who made significant contributions to research on double and multiple stars.

349 Dembowska

A three-dimensional model of 349 Dembowska based on its light curve
Discovery
Discovered by	Auguste Charlois
Discovery date	9 December 1892
Designations
MPC designation	(349) Dembowska
Pronunciation	/dɛmˈbaʊskə/
Named after	Ercole Dembowski
Alternative designations	1892 T
Minor planet category	Main belt
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	123.32 yr (45044 d)
Aphelion	3.1912 AU (477.40 Gm)
Perihelion	2.65635 AU (397.384 Gm)
Semi-major axis	2.92379 AU (437.393 Gm)
Eccentricity	0.091473
Orbital period (sidereal)	5.00 yr (1826.1 d)
Mean anomaly	306.898°
Mean motion	0° 11m 49.704s / day
Inclination	8.2461°
Longitude of ascending node	32.351°
Argument of perihelion	346.225°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	139.77±4.3 km[1] 140 km[2] 145.23 ± 17.21 km[3]
Mass	(3.58 ± 1.03) × 1018 kg[3]
Mean density	2.23 ± 1.01 g/cm3[3]
Synodic rotation period	4.701 h (0.1959 d)[1] 4.701207 ± 0.000058 h[2]
Geometric albedo	0.384 (Bright)[4] 0.3840±0.025[1]
Spectral type	R[1][2]
Absolute magnitude (H)	5.93[1]

Orbiting just inside the prominent 7:3 resonance with Jupiter, 349 Dembowska is among the largest asteroids in the main belt with an estimated diameter of ~140 km.^[2] It has a rotational period of 4.7012 hours,^[2] and is classified as an R-type asteroid for the presence of strong absorption lines in olivine and pyroxene with little or no metals. It may have undergone partial melting/differentiation.^[6] 349 Dembowska has an unusually high albedo of 0.384. Of the asteroids with a diameter greater than 75 km, only 4 Vesta has a higher known albedo.^[4]

Dembowska and 16 Psyche have orbits that repeat themselves almost exactly every five years in respect to their position to the Sun and Earth.^{[citation needed]}

In 1988 a search for satellites or dust orbiting this asteroid was performed using the UH88 telescope at the Mauna Kea Observatories, but the effort came up empty.^[7] There was one occultation on 31 October 2006,^[8] and on 5 December 2007.^[9]