Top Results for Main Belt

Orbiting between Mars and Jupiter, 16 Psyche is a large main-belt asteroid classified as M-type. Observations indicate a substantial metal component, including iron-nickel material, but its exact mixture of metal and rock remains a research question. Its resemblance to material associated with plane...

Between Mars and Jupiter, 4 Vesta is the second-most massive body in the main asteroid belt after Ceres. Its V-type classification reflects a basaltic surface, connecting it to processes that altered early rocky bodies. NASA's Dawn spacecraft studied Vesta from orbit, providing evidence about its ge...

Rather than a single dominant asteroid with a tiny satellite, 90 Antiope consists of two bodies of similar dimensions orbiting one another. Discovered in 1866, this main-belt system belongs to the C-type category associated with dark, carbon-rich asteroids. Its paired structure is the defining featu...

Two small moons orbit 87 Sylvia, a large P-type asteroid in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter. Together, the primary body and its satellites form a triple system. Sylvia became the first asteroid identified with two moons, making it a useful example of how a small solar-system body can support...

Within the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, 10 Hygiea stands out for its large size and unusually rounded shape. Discovered in 1849, it is the fourth largest asteroid by volume and the principal member of the Hygiea family. Its dark, C-type classification connects it with carbon-rich mat...

Discovered in 1852 by Hermann Goldschmidt, 21 Lutetia is a rocky asteroid in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter. It has been classified as M-type, but that spectral category does not establish a water-rich composition. Its physical makeup is more complicated than a simple label suggests, making...

Among the large bodies in the main asteroid belt, 52 Europa is a dark C-type asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter. Hermann Goldschmidt discovered it in 1858. Its classification associates it with carbon-rich material, rather than establishing that it has an icy surface. Its substantial size ma...

24 Themis is a substantial main-belt asteroid within the Themis family. Discovered in 1853, it’s notable as the first asteroid confirmed to possess water ice on its surface. This C-type asteroid offers valuable insights into the composition and evolution of early solar system objects. Scientists stu...

15 Eunomia is a large asteroid located in the main asteroid belt, discovered by Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis in 1851. Named after the Greek goddess of law and order, it is officially classified as the largest S-type asteroid in the solar system. Eunomia is the namesake and largest body of...

22 Kalliope is a large M-type asteroid situated in the main asteroid belt, discovered by English astronomer John Russell Hind in 1852. Named after the Greek muse of epic poetry, it features a diameter of roughly 160 kilometers, making it one of the more massive bodies in the belt. In 2001, astronome...

2 Pallas is the second-largest asteroid in the main asteroid belt, discovered by the German astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers in 1802. Classified as a B-type asteroid, it is composed of silicate and carbon compounds, giving it a dark surface. Pallas follows a highly inclined orbit, tilted...

65 Cybele is a large main-belt asteroid discovered on March 8, 1861, by the German astronomer Ernst Tempel. It is classified as a C-type (carbonaceous) asteroid and has an estimated mean diameter of approximately 287 kilometers, making it one of the largest objects in the asteroid belt. The asteroid...

93 Minerva is a large, dark C-type asteroid located in the main asteroid belt, discovered by American astronomer James Craig Watson in 1867. Named after the Roman goddess of wisdom, the celestial body has a diameter of approximately 140 kilometers and follows an orbital path between Mars and Jupiter...

45 Eugenia is a large, dark main-belt asteroid discovered by Hermann Goldschmidt in 1857 and named for Eugénie de Montijo, wife of Napoleon III. It is a carbon-rich C-type body with an irregular shape and occupies the region between Mars and Jupiter. Eugenia became notable in 1998 when observations...

88 Thisbe is a large main-belt asteroid discovered on June 15, 1866, by German-American astronomer Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters at Clinton, New York. With a diameter of approximately 232 kilometers, it ranks among the largest asteroids in the main belt and is classified as a C-type carbonaceo...

152 Atala is a large, dark main-belt asteroid discovered by brothers Paul and Prosper Henry on November 2, 1875, at the Paris Observatory. It is classified as a primitive carbonaceous C-type asteroid, indicating its surface is rich in carbon and it has a low albedo. The asteroid was named after the...

64 Angelina is an asteroid located in the main asteroid belt, discovered by German astronomer Ernst Tempel in 1861 from an observatory in Marseille, France. It is classified as a rare E-type asteroid, which are known for their high surface albedo and enstatite achondrite silicate compositions. Angel...

20 Massalia is a large main-belt asteroid discovered by Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis on 19 September 1852. Its name comes from Massalia, the ancient Greek name for Marseille, where astronomer Jean Chacornac independently observed it soon after the discovery. It is an S-type, or stony, ast...

157 Dejanira is a main-belt asteroid discovered in 1875 by the French astronomers Paul Henry and Prosper Henry. It was named for Deianira, the wife of Heracles in Greek mythology, whose gift of a robe contaminated with the centaur Nessus's blood led to Heracles's death. The object orbits the Sun wit...

11 Parthenope is a large main-belt asteroid discovered by Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis in 1850. Its name refers to Parthenope, one of the Sirens of Greek mythology and a figure closely associated with the legendary origins of Naples. Spectroscopic observations classify it as an S-type ast...

31 Euphrosyne is a large, dark, carbonaceous asteroid orbiting in the outer region of the main asteroid belt. It was discovered in 1854 by American astronomer James Ferguson and named after Euphrosyne, a figure from Greek mythology representing joy or mirth. As a C-type asteroid, its surface is high...

18 Melpomene is a large, bright asteroid in the inner main belt. English astronomer John Russell Hind discovered it on June 24, 1852, and it was named after Melpomene, the Muse of tragedy in Greek mythology. Classified as an S-type asteroid, it belongs to a group of stony bodies whose surfaces are a...

141 Lumen is a main-belt asteroid classified as a dark C-type object. French astronomer Paul Henry discovered it in 1875, and its name refers to the unit used to measure luminous flux. The asteroid belongs to the population of relatively small bodies orbiting between Mars and Jupiter, where carbon-r...

25 Phocaea is an S-type asteroid in the inner main asteroid belt. Jean Chacornac discovered it in 1853, and it was named after Phocaea, an ancient Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia. The asteroid is also the namesake of the Phocaea family, a group of inner-belt asteroids with related orbita...

13 Egeria is a numbered main-belt asteroid discovered by Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis in 1850. The name refers to Egeria, a nymph in Roman mythology who was associated with the king Numa Pompilius, and the object belongs to the population of small bodies orbiting the Sun between Mars and...

3 Juno is a main-belt asteroid discovered by German astronomer Karl Ludwig Harding on 1 September 1804. It was the third asteroid to be discovered, after Ceres and Pallas, and its name comes from Juno, the Roman goddess; the object helped establish the growing group of small Solar System bodies that...

129 Antigone is a large asteroid in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter. Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters discovered it in 1873, and its name refers to Antigone, a figure from Greek mythology. Antigone is commonly classified as an M-type asteroid, a spectral category associated with relatively...

19 Fortuna is a large carbonaceous asteroid in the outer part of the main asteroid belt. John Russell Hind discovered it in 1852, and it was named after Fortuna, the Roman goddess associated with luck and fate. Its C-type classification indicates a dark, carbon-rich spectral character typical of man...

(100) Hekate is a main-belt asteroid discovered by J. C. Watson in 1868. It was the 100th minor planet to receive a permanent number, which accounts for its place in the history of asteroid discovery. Its name refers to Hecate, the Greek goddess associated in ancient religion with magic, crossroads,...