5 Astraea (Asteroid)

5 Astraea is an asteroid that orbits the Sun.

The vast majority of asteroids can be found orbiting the Sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Asteroids tend to be irregularly shaped but Ceres is a notable exception in that it is spherical like a planet and has been upgraded to Dwarf Planet status.

Asteroids are also known as Minor Planets, but that term has largely fallen out of favour since 2006, with a preference for using Dwarf Planets and Small Solar System Bodies. Minor Planet refers to anything, not a comet or a planet.

Normally, names and numbers are allocated to the asteroid by the Minor Planet Center (M.P.C.), part of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO). Some asteroid names such as Ceres were named prior to the SAO taking responsibility allocating names and numbers. Some asteroids are dedicated by the discoverers to people or named after mythology, such as 2602 PatrickMoore (dedicated) and 15810 Arawn.

Those not named will be assigned the year it was discovered and letters. Usually, an asteroid it will just be referred to as just Astraea, that is without the number. Number Id of an asteroid is usually indicative of when it was discovered, for example, 1 Ceres is the first asteroid to be discovered so hence it has the number 1.

Astraea absolute magnitude is 7.01, which is the object's brightness. A higher absolute magnitude means that the object is faint, whereas a very low number means it is very bright. The albedo of the Astraea is 1. The albedo is the amount of radiation reflected into space Astraea. Astraea's aphelion is 3.06 A.U. which is the point in the orbit that is furthest from the thing (e.g. the Sun) that it is orbiting. At this point, it will then return to the orbit target. The perihelion of Astraea is 2.081 A.U. which is the closest point that the object will get to the thing that it is orbiting. The mean anomaly of Astraea is 208.56769, the object's angular distance from the perihelion or aphelion. Ref: Dictionary.

The Longitude of Ascending Node of Astraea is 141.56755 degrees. It is the angle between the Reference Direction and the Ascending Node. It is generally represented by the greek letter Ω. The ascending node is the point at which the object passes north. The descending node is the southern equivalent.

The Argument of Perihelion of Astraea is 358.7923. It is the angle along the orbit of a planet or other Solar System object as measured from the ascending node (analogous to right ascension and longitude) Ref:Hawaii.

The Mean Orbit Velocity (M.O.V.) is the speed at which it orbits is 1.00 km/h. The average distance of the object from its parent is 1.00km.

Orbital Details

The orbital inclination of Astraea, the angle at which Astraea orbits to the orbital plane, is 5.36542 degrees. The orbital eccentricity is 0.1889852 of Astraea, the degree at which Astraea orbits close to a circular (0) orbit as opposed to an elliptical (1). The semi-major axis of Astraea orbit is 2.5775402 (A.U.), the furthest point from the centre to the edge of an elliptical. Astraea has not been classed as a Near Earth Object (NEO) asteroid as its path doesn't come close (proximity) or cross the orbital path of the Earth as it travels around the Sun.

Orbital Path

If the white lines are above, then the object's path is under the ecliptic. If the white lines are below, the path is above the ecliptic. This refers to the Inclination of the object. The image was created using N.A.S.A. Solar System Dynamics.

Facts and Figures

Type	Asteroid
Radius (Size)	53.35 km
Absolute Magnitude	7.01
Albedo	1
Aphelion (Furthest)	3.06 A.U.
Perihelion (Nearest)	2.081 A.U.
Mean Anomaly	208.56769
Longitude Of Ascending Node	141.56755°
Argument of Perihelion	358.7923°
Near Earth Object	No
Mean Orbit Velocity (km/h)	1.00
Average Orbit Distance (km)	1.00
Orbital Inclination	5.36542°
Orbital Eccentricity	0.1889852
Semi-Major Axis	2.5775402 A.U.
Source(s)	Minor Planet Center
Modified Date	20th October 2024