306 Unitas is a typical

main belt The asteroid belt is a torus-shaped region in the Solar System, centered on the Sun and roughly spanning the space between the orbits of the planets Jupiter and Mars. It contains a great many solid, irregularly shaped bodies called asteroids ...

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet—an object larger than a meteoroid that is neither a planet nor an identified comet—that orbits within the Solar System#Inner Solar System, inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). As ...

that was discovered by

Elia Millosevich Elia Filippo Francesco Giuseppe Maria Millosevich (5 September 1848 in Venice, Austrian Empire – 5 December 1919 in Rome) was an Italian astronomer.br>boka - 0.indd/ref> He specialized in calculating the orbits of comets and asteroids, in p ...

on 1 March 1891 in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. The asteroid was named by the director of the Modena Observatory in honor of the Italian astronomer

Angelo Secchi Angelo Secchi (; 28 June 1818 – 26 February 1878) was an Italians, Italian Priesthood in the Catholic Church, Catholic priest and astronomer from the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, Emilia. He was director of the observato ...

(author of ''Unità delle forze fisiche'') and the unification of Italy. It is classified as an

S-type asteroid S-type (stony-type or silicaceous-type) asteroids are asteroids with a spectral type that is indicative of a siliceous (i.e. stony) mineralogical composition, hence the name. They have relatively high density. Approximately 17% of asteroids are ...

. In the late 1990s, a network of astronomers worldwide gathered

light curve In astronomy, a light curve is a graph (discrete mathematics), graph of the Radiance, light intensity of a celestial object or region as a function of time, typically with the magnitude (astronomy), magnitude of light received on the ''y''-axis ...

data that was ultimately used to derive the spin states and shape models of 10 new asteroids, including (306) Unitas. The computed shape model for this asteroid is regular, while the light curve displays two maxima per rotation. Lightcurve data has also been recorded by observers at the Antelope Hill Observatory, which has been designated as an official observatory by the

Minor Planet Center The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Funct ...

. Measurements of the

thermal inertia Thermal inertia is a term commonly used to describe the observed delays in a body's temperature response during heat transfers. The phenomenon exists because of a body's ability to both store and transport heat relative to its environment. Sinc ...

of 306 Unitas give an estimate range from 100 to 260 m⁻² K⁻¹ s^−1/2, compared to 50 for

lunar regolith Lunar regolith is the unconsolidated material found on the surface of the Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth d ...

and 400 for coarse sand in an atmosphere. Although 306 Unitas has an orbit similar to the

Vesta family The Vesta family (adj. ''Vestian''; ) is a family of asteroids. The cratering family is located in the inner asteroid belt in the vicinity of its namesake and principal body, 4 Vesta. It is one of the largest asteroid families with more tha ...

asteroids, it was found to be an unrelated interloper on the basis of its non-matching

spectral type In astronomy, stellar classification is the classification of stars based on their spectral characteristics. Electromagnetic radiation from the star is analyzed by splitting it with a prism or diffraction grating into a spectrum exhibiting the ...

. File:306 Unitas Orbit Diagram.png

References

External links

Lightcurve plot of (306) Unitas
, Antelope Hills Observatory * * 000306 Discoveries by Elia Millosevich Named minor planets 000306 000306 18910301 {{S-beltasteroid-stub