Davida (minor planet 511)
The seventh largest known asteroid, discovered
in 1903 by the American astronomer Raymond Smith Dugan (1878–1940).
It orbits the Sun in the main asteroid
belt between Mars and Jupiter.
The accompanying animation was made from observations of Davida by the Keck
II Telescope in Hawaii. The pictures are among the most detailed ground-based
observations ever made of an object in the asteroid belt.
Davida's north pole faces the camera, so only the northern hemisphere of
the rock is visible. At least two flat facets can be seen on its surface.
Dark features may be impact craters, some other sort of surface markings,
or artifacts of image processing.
| diameter |
323 km |
| spectral class |
C |
| rotation period |
5.17 hours |
| semimajor axis |
3.171 AU |
| perihelion |
2.591 AU |
| aphelion |
3.750 AU |
| eccentricity |
0.183 |
| inclination |
15.94° |
Related category
NOTABLE
ASTEROIDS, CENTAURS, AND KUIPER BELT OBJECTS
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