62 Erato
Encyclopedia
62 Erato is a large and dark, probably carbonaceous
Themistian asteroid
.
Erato is the first asteroid to have been credited with co-discoverers, Oskar Lesser
and Wilhelm Forster
, who discovered it on September 14, 1860 from the Berlin Observatory
. It was their first and only asteroid discovery. The name was chosen by Johann Franz Encke
, director of the observatory, and refers to Erato
, the Muse
of lyric poetry
in Greek mythology
.
Carbonate
In chemistry, a carbonate is a salt of carbonic acid, characterized by the presence of the carbonate ion, . The name may also mean an ester of carbonic acid, an organic compound containing the carbonate group C2....
Themistian asteroid
Themis family
The Themis or Themistian Asteroid Family is a Hirayama family of asteroids found in the outer portion of the main asteroid belt, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. At a mean distance of 3.13 AU from the Sun, it is one of the more populous asteroid families...
.
Erato is the first asteroid to have been credited with co-discoverers, Oskar Lesser
Oskar Lesser
Otto Leberecht Lesser was a German astronomer who co-discovered asteroid 62 Erato with Wilhelm Julius Foerster on September 14, 1860 in Berlin. This was the first co-discovery on record....
and Wilhelm Forster
Wilhelm Julius Foerster
Wilhelm Julius Foerster was a German astronomer, father of the pacifist and ethicist Friedrich Wilhelm Foerster. His name can also be written Förster, but is usually written "Foerster" even in most German sources where 'ö' is otherwise used in the text.A native of Grünberg, Silesia, he worked as...
, who discovered it on September 14, 1860 from the Berlin Observatory
Berlin Observatory
The Berlin Observatory is a series of observatories and related organizations in and around the city of Berlin in Germany, starting from the 18th century...
. It was their first and only asteroid discovery. The name was chosen by Johann Franz Encke
Johann Franz Encke
Johann Franz Encke was a German astronomer. Among his activities, he worked on the calculation of the periods of comets and asteroids, measured the distance from the earth to the sun, and made observations on the planet Saturn.-Biography:Encke was born in Hamburg, where his father was a...
, director of the observatory, and refers to Erato
Erato
In Greek mythology, Erato is one of the Greek Muses. The name would mean "desired" or "lovely", if derived from the same root as Eros, as Apollonius of Rhodes playfully suggested in the invocation to Erato that begins Book III of his Argonautica....
, the Muse
Muse
The Muses in Greek mythology, poetry, and literature, are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge, related orally for centuries in the ancient culture, that was contained in poetic lyrics and myths...
of lyric poetry
Lyric poetry
Lyric poetry is a genre of poetry that expresses personal and emotional feelings. In the ancient world, lyric poems were those which were sung to the lyre. Lyric poems do not have to rhyme, and today do not need to be set to music or a beat...
in Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
.