145 Adeona is a large

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...

from the intermediate asteroid belt, approximately in diameter. Its surface is very dark, and, based upon its classification as a C-type asteroid, is probably composed of primitive

carbon Carbon () is a chemical element with the symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalent In chemistry, the valence (US spelling) or valency (British spelling) of an element is the measure of its combining capacity with o ...

aceous material. The spectra of the asteroid displays evidence of aqueous alteration. The

Adeona family The Adeona or Adeonian family () is a large asteroid family that formed from the parent body 145 Adeona. Its spectral type is that of a carbonaceous C-type, with currently 2,236 asteroids identified as family members. Based upon simulation ...

of asteroids is named after it. It was discovered by

C. H. F. Peters Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters (September 19, 1813 – July 18, 1890) was a German–American university teacher and astronomer at the Litchfield Observatory of Hamilton College, New York, and a pioneer in the study and visual discovery of ...

on June 3, 1875, from the observatory at Hamilton College, Clinton, New York. Peters named it after

Adeona :''"Adenoa" of C.S. Rafinesque-Schmaltz is a '' nomen nudum'' for ''Galleria'', the genus of the greater wax moth.'' ''Adeona'' is a genus of bryozoans in the family Adeonidae. A typical example is the Australian species '' Adeona cellulosa'' ...

, the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

goddess of

homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia. ...

, because he had recently returned from a journey across the world to observe the

transit of Venus frameless, upright=0.5 A transit of Venus across the Sun takes place when the planet Venus passes directly between the Sun and a superior planet, becoming visible against (and hence obscuring a small portion of) the solar disk. During a trans ...

. Peters also discovered 144 Vibilia on the same night. During 2001, ''Adeona'' was observed by radar from the

Arecibo Observatory The Arecibo Observatory, also known as the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center (NAIC) and formerly known as the Arecibo Ionosphere Observatory, is an observatory in Barrio Esperanza, Arecibo, Puerto Rico owned by the US National Science F ...

. The returned signal matched an effective diameter of 151 ± 18 km. This is consistent with the asteroid dimensions computed through other means. Two stellar

occultations An occultation is an event that occurs when one object is hidden from the observer by another object that passes between them. The term is often used in astronomy, but can also refer to any situation in which an object in the foreground blocks ...

by ''Adeona'' have been observed: The first one on July 9, 2002 when it occulted an 11.8

mag Mag, MAG or mags may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''MAG'' (video game), 2010 * ''Mag'' (Slovenian magazine), 1995–2010 * '' The Mag'', a British music magazine Businesses and organisations * MacKenzie Art Gallery, in Regina, Sask ...

star, and then again on February 3, 2005 when several observers in Japan recorded the occultation of a 10.4 mag star. The latter was consistent with a diameter of 151 km. The ''

Dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's horizo ...

'' mission team discussed performing a flyby of this object, however NASA decided against it in July 2016. At the time this was considered Dawn was orbiting the large asteroid/dwarf planet

1 Ceres Ceres (; minor-planet designation: 1 Ceres) is a dwarf planet in the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It was the first asteroid discovered, on 1 January 1801, by Giuseppe Piazzi at Palermo Astronomical Observatory in Sici ...

, and went on studying that body later that year. ''Dawn'' had previously orbited asteroid

4 Vesta Vesta (minor-planet designation: 4 Vesta) is one of the largest objects in the asteroid belt, with a mean diameter of . It was discovered by the German astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers on 29 March 1807 and is named after Vesta, the ...

, before traveling to Ceres.

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Adeona 000145 Discoveries by Christian Peters Named minor planets 000145 000145 000145 18750603

See also

References

External links