623 Chimaera

623 Chimaera is a minor planet, specifically an asteroid orbiting in the asteroid belt.

623 Chimaera

Discovery
Discovered by	K. Lohnert
Discovery site	Heidelberg
Discovery date	22 January 1907
Designations
MPC designation	(623) Chimaera
Pronunciation	/kaɪˈmɪərə/ ky-MEER-ə[1]
Named after	Chimera
Alternative designations	1907 XJ
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	106.49 yr (38896 d)
Aphelion	2.7396 AU (409.84 Gm)
Perihelion	2.1819 AU (326.41 Gm)
Semi-major axis	2.4607 AU (368.12 Gm)
Eccentricity	0.11331
Orbital period (sidereal)	3.86 yr (1409.9 d)
Mean anomaly	186.178°
Mean motion	0° 15m 19.224s / day
Inclination	14.127°
Longitude of ascending node	308.337°
Argument of perihelion	124.416°
Physical characteristics
Mean radius	22.045±0.5 km
Synodic rotation period	14.635 h (0.6098 d)
Geometric albedo	0.0372±0.002
Absolute magnitude (H)	10.97

Orbit and classification

The asteroid is the major body in the Chimaera Family. It is 22 kilometres in radius and orbits more in the inner to mid asteroid belt, taking 4 years to complete an orbit. Not much detail is known about the asteroid.

Exploration

The MBR Explorer spacecraft is going to visit 623 Chimaera among six other asteroids under the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt. The spacecraft is planned to launch in 2028.^[3][4] It will make observations of 623 Chimaera with its two cameras and two spectrometers with the goal of better understanding the formation of the Solar System.^[5]