5381 Sekhmet

5381 Sekhmet is an Aten asteroid whose orbit is sometimes closer to the Sun than the Earth's. Carolyn Shoemaker at Palomar Observatory discovered it on 14 May 1991. It is named after Sekhmet, the Egyptian goddess of war.[3]

Sekhmet is believed to be an S-type asteroid, and some believe its diameter is approximately 1.4 km.[4][5]

In December 2003, a team of astronomers at Arecibo Observatory announced that the asteroid may have a moon that measures 300 m in diameter and orbits approximately 1.5 km from Sekhmet.[5] This moon is not yet confirmed.

References

  1. ^ a b c "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 5381 Sekhmet (1991 JY)" (2015-05-13 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  2. ^ "Sekhmet". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d.
  3. ^ a b "5381 Sekhmet (1991 JY)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  4. ^ a b c "LCDB Data for (5381) Sekhmet". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  5. ^ a b Neish, C. D.; et al. (December 2003), "Radar Observations of Binary Asteroid 5381 Sekhmet", Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 35: 1421, Bibcode:2003AAS...20313402N