298 Baptistina facts for kids
Asteroid 298 Baptistina (apparent magnitude 15.2) near a mag 15.3 star
|
|
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Auguste Charlois |
| Discovery date | 9 September 1890 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | (298) Baptistina |
| Main belt, Baptistina family |
|
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 123.99 yr (45289 d) |
| Aphelion | 2.4805 AU (371.08 Gm) |
| Perihelion | 2.0475 AU (306.30 Gm) |
| 2.2640 AU (338.69 Gm) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.095630 |
| 3.41 yr (1244.3 d) | |
| 209.69° | |
|
Mean motion
|
0° 17m 21.588s / day |
| Inclination | 6.2884° |
| 8.2161° | |
| 135.004° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 13–30 km |
| 16.23 h (0.676 d) 16.23±0.02 hours |
|
| X-type | |
| 11.2 | |
298 Baptistina is a common main belt asteroid. This means it is a small, rocky object that orbits the Sun, mostly found between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It was discovered by a French astronomer named Auguste Charlois on September 9, 1890, in Nice, France.
Contents
About Asteroid 298 Baptistina
Asteroid 298 Baptistina is part of a group of asteroids known as the Baptistina family. This family is named after this very asteroid. Even though its path around the Sun looks a bit like the paths of asteroids in the Flora family, scientists have found that Baptistina is not actually related to them.
The Baptistina Family Theory
In 2007, a study by scientists from the United States and the Czech Republic suggested an interesting idea about 298 Baptistina. They thought that it might be the largest piece left over from a much bigger asteroid. This giant asteroid, which they estimated to be about 170 kilometers (110 miles) wide, might have been smashed apart about 160 million years ago. This happened when it crashed into a smaller space object.
This huge collision would have created many smaller pieces, forming the Baptistina family of asteroids we see today.
A Link to the Dinosaurs?
The same study also suggested that this ancient collision, called the "Baptistina event," might have led to a very famous event on Earth. They thought that one of the pieces from this crash could have eventually hit Earth about 65 million years ago. Many scientists believe that a large asteroid impact caused the K/T extinction event, which led to the end of the dinosaurs.
This theory suggests that the asteroid that hit Earth and caused the dinosaur extinction might have originally come from the Baptistina family. However, it's important to know that this idea has not been fully accepted by all scientists yet. They are still studying and debating it.
See also
In Spanish: (298) Baptistina para niños
