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43 Ariadne facts for kids

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43 Ariadne
Discovery
Discovered by N. R. Pogson
Discovery date April 15, 1857
Designations
none
Main belt (Flora family)
Orbital characteristics
Epoch November 26, 2005 (JD 2453700.5)
Aphelion 384.954 Gm (2.573 AU)
Perihelion 274.339 Gm (1.834 AU)
329.646 Gm (2.204 AU)
Eccentricity 0.168
1194.766 d (3.27 a)
19.92 km/s
101.582°
Inclination 3.464°
264.937°
15.948°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 95×60×50 km
Mass ~4.0×1017 kg (estimate)
Mean density
~2.7 g/cm³ (estimate)
~0.012 m/s² (estimate)
~0.034 km/s (estimate)
0.2401 d
Albedo 0.274 (geometric)
Temperature ~178 K
max: 275K (+2° C)
Spectral type
S-type asteroid
8.78 to 13.29
7.93
0.11" to 0.025"

43 Ariadne is a big and bright space rock found in the main asteroid belt. It is the second-largest member of a group of asteroids called the Flora family. A scientist named N. R. Pogson discovered it on April 15, 1857. It was named after Ariadne, a brave heroine from Greek mythology.

What is 43 Ariadne Like?

Ariadne has a very stretched-out shape. It is almost twice as long in one direction as it is in its smallest direction. This asteroid spins backwards, which is called a retrograde rotation. Its pole, which is like Earth's North Pole, points almost sideways compared to its orbit. This means it has a tilt of about 105 degrees.

Fun Facts About Ariadne

  • For a special reason, "Asteroid 43 Ariadne" was put on a list of names. This list was stored on a tiny computer chip inside the NASA spacecraft called Stardust.
  • When Ariadne is closest to Earth, it looks about the same size in the sky as Pluto does.



See also

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In Spanish: (43) Ariadne para niños

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