P-class asteroid

A dark type of asteroid, commonest in the outer part of the main asteroid belt at a solar distance of about 4 astronomical units, with a spectrum intermediate between that of C-class asteroids and D-class asteroids. P-class objects are distinguished from the spectrally similar E-class asteroids and M-class asteroids by their lower albedo (in the range 0.02 to 0.06). The largest example is the 282-km-wide (87) Sylvia.

Related category

• ASTEROIDS AND OTHER MINOR PLANETS: TYPES AND GROUPS

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