.png) A three-dimensional model of 72 Feronia based on its light curve. | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters |
| Discovery date | May 29, 1861 |
| Designations | |
| (72) Feronia | |
| Pronunciation | /fɛˈroʊniə/[1] |
Named after | Feronia |
| Main belt | |
| Adjectives | Feronian |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch December 31, 2006 (JD 2454100.5) | |
| Aphelion | 2.539 AU (379.8 Gm) |
| Perihelion | 1.993 AU (298.1 Gm) |
| 2.266 AU (339.0 Gm) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.121 |
| 1,246.123 days (3.41 a) | |
| 146.950° | |
| Inclination | 5.417° |
| 208.137° | |
| 102.608° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 83.95±4.02 km[2] |
| Mass | (3.32±8.49)×1018 kg[2] |
Mean density | 10.71±27.44 g/cm3[2] |
| 8.09068 h[3] | |
Pole ecliptic latitude | 287 or 102[3] |
Pole ecliptic longitude | −39 or −55[3] |
| 0.063[4] | |
| TDG[5] | |
| 8.94 | |
72 Feronia (minor planet designation: 72 Feronia) is a quite large and dark main belt asteroid. It was the first asteroid discovery by C. H. F. Peters, on May 29, 1861,[6] from Hamilton College, New York State. It was initially thought that Peters had merely seen the already known asteroid 66 Maja, but T.H. Safford showed that it was a new body. Safford named it after Feronia, a Roman fertility goddess.[7]
This asteroid is orbiting the Sun with a period of 3.41 years, having a semimajor axis of 2.266 AU and an eccentricity of 0.121. The orbital plane is inclined by an angle of 5.4° to the plane of the ecliptic. This is a spectral type TDG asteroid with a cross-section size of 84 km. The asteroid has an estimated rotation period of 8.09 h. Hanuš et al. (2013) gives two possible solutions for the pole in ecliptic coordinates: (λ1, β1) = (287°, −39°) or (λ1, β1) = (102°, −55°). The estimated mass of 72 Feronia, and hence the density, has a large margin of error.[3]
