kids encyclopedia robot

5 Astraea facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
5 Astraea Astronomical symbol for 5 Astraea
Discovery
Discovered by Karl Ludwig Hencke
Discovery date December 8, 1845
Designations
1969 SE
Main belt
Orbital characteristics
Epoch November 26, 2005 (JD 2453700.5)
Aphelion 459.202 Gm (3.070 AU)
Perihelion 310.688 Gm (2.077 AU)
384.945 Gm (2.573 AU)
Eccentricity 0.193
1507.676 d (4.13 a)
18.39 km/s
194.442°
Inclination 5.369°
141.690°
357.530°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 167×123×82 km
Mass ~2.4×1018 kg
Mean density
~2.7 g/cm³
~0.023 m/s²
~0.062 km/s
0.700 03 d (16.801 h)
Albedo 0.227 (geometric)
Temperature ~167 K
max: 263 K (-10 °C)
Spectral type
S-type asteroid
8.7 to 12.92
6.85
0.15" to 0.041"

5 Astraea (written Astræa in the early literature) is a big main belt asteroid. Its surface is very reflective (bright) and what it's made of is probably a mixture of nickel-iron with magnesium- and iron-silicates. The adjectival form of the name, although unused, would be Astraean (which also designates a genus of star corals).

Moon and Asteroids 1 to 10
Size comparison: the first 10 asteroids profiled against Earth's Moon. Astrea is the fifth from the left.

Astraea was the fifth asteroid found, on December 8, 1845 by K. L. Hencke. It was his first of two asteroid discoveries. The second was 6 Hebe. An amateur astronomer and post office employee, Hencke was looking for 4 Vesta when he stumbled on Astraea. The King of Prussia awarded him with an annual pension of 300 US$ (1968 dollars) for the discovery.

Photometry indicates prograde rotation, that the north pole points in the direction of right ascension 9 h 52 min, declination 73° with a 5° uncertainty. This gives an axial tilt of about 33°.

Astrea is physically unremarkable but notable mainly because for 38 years (after the discovery of Vesta in 1807) it had been thought that there were only four asteroids. In terms of maximum brightness, it is indeed only the seventeenth brightest main belt asteroid, being fainter than 192 Nausikaa and even, at rare near-perihelion oppositions, the highly eccentric carbonaceous 324 Bamberga.

After the discovery of Astraea, thousands of other asteroids would follow. Indeed, the discovery of Astrea proved to be the starting point for the eventual demotion of the four original asteroids (which were regarded as planets at the time) to their current status, as it became apparent that these four were only the biggest of a whole new type of celestial body.

There has been only one seen stellar occultation by Astraea (February 2, 1991).

— Horizons can be used to obtain a current ephemeris

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: (5) Astraea para niños

kids search engine
5 Astraea Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.