94 Aurora is one of the largest main-belt asteroids and is the 25th largest asteroid currently known.
Discovery
Aurora was discovered by James Craig Watson on September 6, 1867, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Naming
The asteroid was named after Aurora, the Roman goddess of the dawn.
In Roman mythology, Aurora, goddess of the dawn, renews herself every morning and flies across the sky, announcing the arrival of the sun.
Stats
Diameter (mean): 205 km
Aphelion: 3.435 AU
Perihelion: 2.878 AU
Semi-major axis: 3.16 AU
Orbital Period: 5.62 years
Rotation period: 7.22 hrs
Date discovered: 1867.9.6
Class: C
Type: Main-belt Asteroid
(data from JPL Small-Body Database)
Physical Characteristics
With an albedo of only 0.04, Aurora is darker than soot, and has a primitive compositions consisting of carbonaecous material.
Star Occultation
Observations of an occultation (TYC 6910-01938-1) on October 12, 2001, using nine chords indicate an oval outline of 225×173 km.
My brush with the 94 Aurora--it was my own address at 94 Aurora, Asheville,NC. Sometimes, it casted its own shadows down on my abode.
ReplyDeleteMy brush with the 94 Aurora--it was my own address at 94 Aurora, Asheville, NC. Sometimes, it casted its own shadow down on my abode.
ReplyDelete