52872 Okyrhoe

52872 Okyrhoe /oʊˈkɪroʊ.iː/ is a centaur orbiting in the outer Solar System between Jupiter and Saturn. It was discovered on 19 September 1998, by the Spacewatch survey at Kitt Peak Observatory in Arizona, United States, and named after Ocyrhoe from Greek mythology.

52872 Okyrhoe

Discovery
Discovered by	Spacewatch
Discovery site	Kitt Peak Obs.
Discovery date	19 September 1998
Designations
MPC designation	(52872) Okyrhoe
Pronunciation	/oʊˈkɪroʊ.iː/[1]
Named after	Ωκυρόη, Ωκυρρόη Ōkyroē, Ōkyrroē
Alternative designations	1998 SG35
Minor planet category	centaur[2][3][4]
Symbol	(astrological)
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	5393 days (14.77 yr)
Aphelion	10.908 AU (1.6318 Tm)
Perihelion	5.7875 AU (865.80 Gm)
Semi-major axis	8.3478 AU (1.24881 Tm)
Eccentricity	0.30670
Orbital period (sidereal)	24.12 yr (8809.66 d)
Mean anomaly	118.92°
Mean motion	0° 2m 27.11s / day
Inclination	15.665°
Longitude of ascending node	173.03°
Argument of perihelion	337.79°
Jupiter MOID	0.468729 AU (70.1209 Gm)
TJupiter	2.945
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	49 km[5]
Synodic rotation period	8.3 h[6]
Geometric albedo	0.03[7]
Spectral type	B–V = 0.743±0.065[8]
Absolute magnitude (H)	10.8[2]

Orbit and classification

Centaurs have short dynamical lives due to strong interactions with the giant planets. Okyrhoe is estimated to have an orbital half-life of about 670 thousand years.^[9] Of objects listed as a centaur by the Minor Planet Center (MPC),^[4] JPL,^[2] and the Deep Ecliptic Survey (DES),^[3] Okyrhoe has the second smallest perihelion distance of a numbered centaur. Numbered centaur (315898) 2008 QD4 has a smaller perihelion distance.

52872 Okyrhoe passed perihelion in early 2008 and brightened noticeably.

Naming

It was named after Ocyrhoe, the daughter of Chiron and Chariclo from Greek mythology.

Physical characteristics

Sublimation

Okyrhoe passed perihelion in early 2008,^[2] and exhibited significant magnitude variations during March and April 2008.^[10] This could be a sign of sublimation of volatiles.

See also

• List of centaurs (small Solar System bodies) § 52872