240 Vanadis
Vanadis (minor planet designation: 240 Vanadis) is a fairly large main-belt asteroid with a diameter of around 100 km. It was discovered by A. Borrelly on August 27, 1884, in Marseilles and was named after Freyja (Vanadis), the Norse fertility goddess. The asteroid is orbiting the Sun at a distance of 2.67 AU with a period of 4.35 yr and an orbital eccentricity of 0.206. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 2.10° to the plane of the ecliptic.
Orbital diagram | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | A. Borrelly |
| Discovery date | 27 August 1884 |
| Designations | |
MPC designation | (240) Vanadis |
| Pronunciation | /ˈvɑːnə.dɪs/ |
Named after | Freyja |
Alternative designations | A884 QB |
Minor planet category | Main belt |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 131.61 yr (48072 d) |
| Aphelion | 3.2134 AU (480.72 Gm) |
| Perihelion | 2.1178 AU (316.82 Gm) |
Semi-major axis | 2.6656 AU (398.77 Gm) |
| Eccentricity | 0.20551 |
Orbital period (sidereal) | 4.35 yr (1,589.6 d) |
Average orbital speed | 18.25 km/s |
Mean anomaly | 60.5202° |
Mean motion | 0° 13m 35.292s / day |
| Inclination | 2.1043° |
Longitude of ascending node | 115.191° |
| 300.174° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 103.90±2.5 km 94.03±5.37 km |
| Mass | (1.10 ± 0.92) × 1018 kg |
Mean density | 2.53±2.15 g/cm3 |
Synodic rotation period | 10.64 h (0.443 d) |
| 0.0411±0.002 | |
| C | |
| 9.00 | |
Photometric observations of the asteroid made during 2022 were used to produce a light curve that showed a rotation period of 10.565±0.002 h with a brightness variation of 0.07±0.01 in magnitude. This is consistent with earlier estimates. It is very dark and is classified as a C-type asteroid, probably composed of primitive carbonaceous material.