8 Flora facts for kids
8 Flora is a large and bright asteroid found in the main asteroid belt. It's special because it's the closest big asteroid to the Sun. No other asteroid closer to the Sun is larger than about 25 kilometers across. 8 Flora is also the seventh brightest asteroid you can see from Earth. It can sometimes shine even brighter, reaching a magnitude of +7.9 when it's closest to Earth and the Sun.
Size comparison: the first 10 asteroids profiled against Earth's Moon. Flora is third from the right.
|
|
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | J.R. Hind |
| Discovery date | October 18, 1847 |
| Designations | |
| none | |
| Main belt (Flora family) | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch November 26, 2005 (JD 2453700.5) | |
| Aphelion | 380.850 Gm (2.546 AU) |
| Perihelion | 277.995 Gm (1.858 AU) |
| 329.422 Gm (2.202 AU) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1561 |
| 1193.549 d (3.27 a) | |
|
Average orbital speed
|
19.95 km/s |
| 156.401° | |
| Inclination | 5.886° |
| 111.011° | |
| 285.128° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 145×145×120 km |
| Mass | ~3.6×1018 kg |
|
Mean density
|
~2.7 g/cm³ |
| ~0.045 m/s² | |
| ~0.081 km/s | |
| 0.5363 d (12.87 h) | |
| Albedo | 0.243 (geometric) |
| Temperature | ~180 K max: 276 K (+3 °C) |
|
Spectral type
|
S-type asteroid |
| 7.9 to 11.6 | |
| 6.49 | |
| 0.21" to 0.053" | |
Contents
Discovering 8 Flora: A Space Rock's Name
8 Flora was discovered by an astronomer named J. R. Hind. He found it on October 18, 1847. This was the second asteroid he ever found! His first discovery was 7 Iris.
How 8 Flora Got Its Name
The name "Flora" was suggested by another famous astronomer, John Herschel. He named it after Flora, who was the Roman goddess of flowers and gardens. In Roman stories, she was the wife of Zephyrus, the god of the West wind, and the mother of Spring. Her Greek equivalent is Chloris, who also has her own asteroid, 410 Chloris.
What Makes 8 Flora Special?
8 Flora is the main body of a group of asteroids called the Flora family. It's by far the largest member of this family, making up about 80% of its total mass. Scientists believe that 8 Flora was likely broken apart by impacts that created the family. It's probably a collection of most of those broken pieces.
What is 8 Flora Made Of?
Scientists study the light reflected from 8 Flora to learn about its surface. Its spectrum shows that it's made of a mix of rocky materials like silicate (which includes pyroxene and olivine) and nickel-iron metal.
Connecting 8 Flora to Earth's Meteorites
8 Flora and the other asteroids in the Flora family are thought to be the source of L chondrite meteorites. These are a common type of meteorite that falls to Earth, making up about 38% of all meteorites we find!
Interesting Facts About 8 Flora
On March 25, 1917, astronomers were observing 8 Flora. But they accidentally mistook it for a star called TU Leonis. This mistake led to TU Leonis being incorrectly classified as a special type of variable star. This error wasn't discovered until 1995!
Images for kids
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The orbit of 8 Flora compared with the orbits of Earth, Mars and Jupiter
See also
In Spanish: (8) Flora para niños
