Discovery
- Date of discovery: 3 September 1999
- Discoverer(s): LINEAR (Lincoln Near‑Earth Asteroid Research)
- Discovery site: Lincoln Laboratory’s Experimental Test Site, Socorro, New Mexico, USA
Orbital classification
- Category: Jupiter trojan (L4 Greek camp)
- Semi‑major axis: 5.213 AU (average distance from the Sun)
- Orbital period: 11.90 yr (4 352 days)
- Eccentricity: 0.066 ± 0.001
- Inclination: 9.48° ± 0.02° to the ecliptic plane
Physical characteristics
- Absolute magnitude (H): 10.5 mag
- Estimated diameter: ~35 km (assuming an albedo of 0.07, typical for D‑type Jupiter trojans)
- Spectral type: D‑type (dark, carbon‑rich surface) – inferred from typical characteristics of L4 trojans; specific spectroscopic data for 16070 Charops have not been published.
Naming
- The minor‑planet name “Charops” was officially approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 2001.
- Eponym: Charops (Greek: Χάρωψ) – a figure mentioned in Greek mythological sources as a participant in the Trojan War on the Trojan side. The naming follows the convention for Jupiter trojans, which are named after characters from the Trojan War.
References
- Minor Planet Center (MPC) database, object 16070.
- NASA JPL Small‑Body Database Browser, 16070 Charops.
- IAU Working Group for Small Body Nomenclature (WGSBN) Circular 2001.
Notes
- No spacecraft has visited 16070 Charops, and detailed compositional or rotational data are presently unavailable.
- The diameter estimate is based on a generic albedo assumption common to D‑type trojans; actual size may vary pending future observations (e.g., thermal infrared measurements).
