(624) Hektor

(624) Hektor is an asteroid belonging to the Trojan asteroids of Jupiter discovered on February 10, 1907 by August Kopff from the Heidelberg-Königstuhl observatory, Germany. It is named after Hector, a Trojan hero from the Iliad, killed by Achilles for murdering Patroclus.

Physical characteristics

Hector is proportionally one of the most elongated bodies in the Solar System. It is believed that it could be two asteroids in contact. On July 17, 2006, observations made at the Keck Observatory showed that Hector is bilobed in shape.

Satellite

During the same observations, a satellite about 12 km in diameter was discovered, provisionally named S/2006 (624) 1. The semi-major axis is 957 km and it takes 2.965 days to complete one orbit.