Kassandra (minor planet designation: 114 Kassandra) is a large and dark main-belt asteroid. It belongs to the rare class T. It was discovered by C. H. F. Peters on July 23, 1871, and is named after Cassandra, the prophetess in the tales of the Trojan War. The asteroid is featured in the 2009 film Meteor, in which it is split in two by a comet, and set on a collision course with Earth.
_Kassandra.png) 3D convex shape model of 114 Kassandra | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters |
| Discovery date | 23 July 1871 |
| Designations | |
| (114) Kassandra | |
| Pronunciation | /kəˈsændrə/[1] |
Named after | Cassandra |
| A871 OA | |
| Main belt | |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 113.62 yr (41501 d) |
| Aphelion | 3.0407 AU (454.88 Gm) |
| Perihelion | 2.31581 AU (346.440 Gm) |
| 2.67825 AU (400.660 Gm) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.13533 |
| 4.38 yr (1600.9 d) | |
Average orbital speed | 18.12 km/s |
| 197.019° | |
| 0° 13m 29.525s / day | |
| Inclination | 4.9367° |
| 164.222° | |
| 352.208° | |
| Earth MOID | 1.3244 AU (198.13 Gm) |
| Jupiter MOID | 1.94976 AU (291.680 Gm) |
| TJupiter | 3.359 |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | 94.178±0.954 km[2] 99.798 km[3] 100±14 km[4] |
| Mass | (1.335 ± 0.597/0.264)×1018 kg[5] |
Mean density | 3.051 ± 1.365/0.603 g/cm3[5] |
Equatorial surface gravity | 0.0402 m/s² |
Equatorial escape velocity | 0.0615 km/s |
| 10.7431 h (0.44763 d)[2] 10.758 h[6] | |
| 0.089±0.014[2] 0.0868 ± 0.0252[3] | |
| Temperature | ~170 K |
| T (Tholen)[3] | |
| 8.51,[2] 8.275[3] | |
This object is classified as a rare T-type asteroid, with parts of the spectrum displaying properties similar to the mineral troilite and to carbonaceous chondrite.[7] The shape of the spectrum also appears similar to fine grain from the Ornans meteorite, which landed in France in 1868.[8] The light curve for this asteroid displays a period of 10.758 ± 0.004 hours with a brightness variation of 0.25 ± 0.01 in magnitude.[6]
In 2001, 114 Kassandra was observed by radar from the Arecibo Observatory. The return signal matched an effective diameter of 100 ± 14 km. This is consistent with the asteroid dimensions computed through other means.[4]
In popular media
The 2009 miniseries Meteor featured 114 Kassandra being sent on a collision course with Earth due to a comet impact and the effort by scientists to stop it.
References
External links
- 114 Kassandra at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- 114 Kassandra at the JPL Small-Body Database
