Alternative names A869 GA Observation arc 136.51 yr (49860 d) Discovery site Pola Observatory | Discovery date 7 August 1879 Minor planet category Main belt Discovered 7 August 1879 | |
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Aphelion 3.16233 AU (473.078 Gm) Similar 192 Nausikaa, 230 Athamantis, 135 Hertha, 306 Unitas, 471 Papagena | ||
201 Penelope is a large main belt asteroid that was discovered by Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa on August 7, 1879 in Pola. The asteroid is named after Penelope, the wife of Odysseus in Homer's The Odyssey.
Based upon the spectra of this object, it is classified as a M-type asteroid, indicating it may be metallic in composition. It may be the remnant of the core of a larger, differentiated asteroid. Near infrared absorption features indicate the presence of variable amounts of low-iron, low-calcium orthopyroxenes on the surface. Trace amounts of water is detected with a mass fraction of about 0.13–0.15 wt%. It has an estimated size of around 88 km. With a rotation period of 3.74 hours, it is the fastest rotating asteroid larger than 50 km in diameter.