240 Vanadis

Infobox Planet | discovery=yes | physical_characteristics = yes | bgcolour=#FFFFC0 | name=240 Vanadis
discoverer=A. Borrelly
discovered=August 27, 1884
alt_names="n/a"
mp_category=Main belt
epoch=30 January, 2005 (JD 2453400.5)
semimajor=398.538 Gm (2.664 AU)
perihelion=316.219 Gm (2.114 AU)
aphelion=480.857 Gm (3.214 AU)
eccentricity=0.207
period=1588.204 d (4.35 a)
inclination=2.105°
asc_node=115.225°
arg_peri=300.575°
mean_anomaly=188.424°
avg_speed=18.25 km/s
dimensions=104.0 km
mass="unknown"
density="unknown"
surface_grav="unknown"
escape_velocity="unknown"
rotation=10.64 h
spectral_type=C
abs_magnitude=9.0
albedo=0.041
single_temperature="unknown"

240 Vanadis is a fairly large Main belt asteroid. This very dark asteroid is classified as a C-type asteroid and is probably composed of primitive carbonaceous material.

It was discovered by A. Borrelly on August 27, 1884 in Marseilles and was named after Freyja (Vanadis), the Norse fertility goddess.

References

* [ftp://ftp.lowell.edu/pub/elgb/astorb.html The Asteroid Orbital Elements Database]
* [http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/lists/NumberedMPs.html Minor Planet Discovery Circumstances]
* [http://spiff.rit.edu/richmond/parallax/phot/LCSUMPUB.TXT Asteroid Lightcurve Data File]