2101 Adonis facts for kids
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Eugene Delporte |
| Discovery date | February 12, 1936 |
| Designations | |
| 1936 CA | |
| Apollo, Mars crosser | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch October 22, 2004 (JD 2453300.5) | |
| Aphelion | 494.673 Gm (3.307 AU) |
| Perihelion | 65.906 Gm (0.441 AU) |
| 280.289 Gm (1.874 AU) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.765 |
| 936.742 d (2.56 a) | |
|
Average orbital speed
|
18.10 km/s |
| 307.406° | |
| Inclination | 1.349° |
| 350.580° | |
| 42.438° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 0.5—1.2 km 1 |
| Mass | 0.13—1.8×1012 kg |
|
Mean density
|
2.0? g/cm³ |
| 0.0001—0.0003 m/s² | |
| 0.0003—0006 km/s | |
| ? d | |
| Albedo | 0.20—0.04 1 |
| Temperature | 197—207 K |
|
Spectral type
|
? |
| 18.7 | |
2101 Adonis is a space rock, also known as an asteroid, that flies quite close to Earth. It was one of the very first "near-Earth asteroids" ever discovered! A scientist named Eugene Delporte found it in 1936.
This asteroid is named after Adonis, a beautiful young man from ancient Greek myths. The goddess Venus fell in love with him in these stories. Scientists think Adonis is about 1 kilometer (or 0.6 miles) wide.
Contents
Discovering Adonis
When 2101 Adonis was first found in 1936, scientists could not track it for very long. This made it hard to figure out its exact path around the Sun. Because of this, Adonis became "lost" in space for many years.
But don't worry, it was found again! In 1977, another astronomer named Charles T. Kowal rediscovered it. This time, they could track its orbit much better.
What Kind of Asteroid Is It?
Adonis is known as an Apollo asteroid. This means its path around the Sun crosses Earth's orbit. It was actually the second Apollo asteroid ever found, after the asteroid 1862 Apollo itself.
Some scientists think Adonis might have once been a comet that ran out of its icy material. If this is true, it's called a "dead comet." It might even be the source of some meteor showers we see from Earth!
How Close Does Adonis Get to Earth?
Adonis comes quite close to Earth sometimes. In the 21st century (which is the 2000s), it will pass within 30 gigameters (Gm) of our planet six times. A gigameter is a huge distance, equal to 1 billion meters!
The closest it will get is about 5.3 Gm in the year 2036. That's still very far away, but it's considered a close approach in space terms.
See also
- In Spanish: (2101) Adonis para niños
