19 Fortuna facts for kids
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | John Russell Hind |
| Discovery date | August 22, 1852 |
| Designations | |
| A902 UG | |
| Main belt | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch October 22, 2004 (JD 2453300.5) | |
| Aphelion | 423.443 Gm (2.831 AU) |
| Perihelion | 307.028 Gm (2.052 AU) |
| 365.235 Gm (2.441 AU) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.159 |
| 1393.378 d (3.81 a) | |
|
Average orbital speed
|
18.94 km/s |
| 268.398° | |
| Inclination | 1.573° |
| 211.379° | |
| 182.091° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 225.0 km |
| Mass | ~1.2×1019 kg |
|
Mean density
|
2.0? g/cm³ |
| ~0.0629 m/s² | |
| ~0.1190 km/s | |
| 0.3101 d (7.445 h) | |
| Albedo | 0.037 |
| Temperature | ~180 K |
|
Spectral type
|
G |
| 8.88 to 12.95 | |
| 7.13 | |
| 0.25" to 0.072" | |
19 Fortuna is one of the largest asteroids found in the main asteroid belt. This is a busy area between Mars and Jupiter where many space rocks orbit the Sun. Fortuna is made of dark, ancient materials. These materials are similar to what makes up 1 Ceres, which is a dwarf planet.
The surface of Fortuna looks dark and has been changed by space weather. This means it has been hit by tiny particles and radiation over billions of years. It also contains primitive organic compounds, including special ones called tholins. These are complex carbon-rich molecules.
About 19 Fortuna
Size and Appearance
Fortuna is about 225 kilometers (140 miles) wide. This makes it one of the biggest objects in the main asteroid belt. It is also one of the darkest asteroids known. Its surface reflects very little sunlight. Scientists measure how much light an object reflects using something called albedo. Fortuna's albedo is very low, between 0.028 and 0.037. This means it reflects only about 2.8% to 3.7% of the sunlight that hits it.
How We Study Asteroids
In 1993, the Hubble Space Telescope took a look at Fortuna. The telescope showed that Fortuna appears almost perfectly round, like a sphere. Scientists also searched for any moons orbiting Fortuna, but they did not find any.
Scientists can also learn about Fortuna by watching it pass in front of stars. This event is called a stellar occultation. When Fortuna blocks the light from a distant star, astronomers can measure its size and shape very accurately. This has happened several times.
Discovery and Name
Fortuna was discovered by an astronomer named J. R. Hind. He found it on August 22, 1852. He named it after Fortuna, who was the Roman goddess of luck in Roman stories.
See also
In Spanish: (19) Fortuna para niños
