(20) Massalia

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Asteroid
(20) Massalia
Properties of the orbit ( animation )
Epoch:  4th November 2013 ( JD 2,456,600.5)
Orbit type Main belt asteroid
Asteroid family Massalia family
Major semi-axis 2.409  AU
eccentricity 0.143
Perihelion - aphelion 2.065 AU - 2.752 AU
Inclination of the orbit plane 0.8 °
Length of the ascending node 206.2 °
Argument of the periapsis 256.8 °
Time of passage of the perihelion May 11, 2014
Sidereal period 3 a 270 d
Mean orbital velocity 19.1 km / s
Physical Properties
Medium diameter 145 km
Dimensions 160 × 145 × 130 km
Dimensions approx. 5.2 · 10 18Template: Infobox asteroid / maintenance / mass kg
Albedo 0.2096 (± 0.030)
Medium density about 3.2 g / cm³
Rotation period 8.098 h
Absolute brightness 6.50 likes
Spectral class
(according to Tholen)
S.
Spectral class
(according to SMASSII)
S.
history
Explorer Annibale De Gasparis
Date of discovery September 19, 1852
Source: Unless otherwise stated, the data comes from JPL Small-Body Database Browser . The affiliation to an asteroid family is automatically determined from the AstDyS-2 database . Please also note the note on asteroid items.

(20) Massalia is an asteroid in the main asteroid belt discovered by Annibale De Gasparis on July 19, 1852 as the twentieth asteroid.
The asteroid was discovered independently by the French astronomer Jean Chacornac at the Marseille Observatory. Massalia is the ancient Latin name of the city.

Massalia moves at a distance of about 2.1 ( perihelion ) to 2.8 ( aphelion ) astronomical units in 3.7 years around the sun . The orbit is inclined 0.71 ° to the ecliptic , the orbital eccentricity is 0.14.

With a mean diameter of 145 kilometers, Massalia is one of the larger asteroids in the main belt. It has a relatively light, silicate-rich surface with an albedo of 0.21. Massalia rotates around its own axis in around 8 hours.

See also