122 Gerda is a fairly large outer main-belt asteroid that was discovered by German-American astronomer C. H. F. Peters on July 31, 1872. It was named after Gerðr, the wife of the god Freyr in Norse mythology.

This asteroid is orbiting the Sun at a distance of 3.22 AU with a low eccentricity of 0.03 and an orbital period of 5.79 years. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 1.64° to the plane of the ecliptic. This body is listed as a member of the Hecuba group of asteroids that orbit near the 2:1 mean-motion resonance with Jupiter.

Based upon its spectrum, this is classified as a stony S-type asteroid. It has a measured diameter of 82 km. Photometric observations of this asteroid in 2007 were used to produce a light curve that showed that Gerda rotates every 10.687±0.001 hours and varied in brightness by 0.16 in magnitude. In 2009, observations at the Organ Mesa Observatory in Las Cruces, New Mexico generated a light curve with a period of 10.712±0.01 hours with a brightness variation of 0.11 ± 0.01 magnitudes. This is compatible with previous studies.

See also

  • List of minor planets: 1–1000

External links