Skip to content
48 Doris

File:48_Doris_VLT_(2021),_deconvolved.pdf · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ154672· pop 51· linked from 38 articles

Also known as (48) Doris, Doris

main-belt asteroid

OverviewAI-generated

48 Doris is a C-type asteroid located in the asteroid belt, orbiting the Sun. It was discovered by Hermann Goldschmidt on September 19, 1857, at the Paris Observatory. The object is named after Doris and holds the provisional designations 1948 FE and A857 SA. In the sequence of minor planets, it follows 47 Aglaja and is followed by 49 Pales.

Physically, 48 Doris has a diameter of 216.473 kilometers and an albedo of 0.065. Its rotation period is 11.89 hours, and its absolute magnitude is listed as 7.12 in one source and 7.11 in another. Orbital parameters include a semi-major axis of 3.112870761577706 AU, an eccentricity of 0.06626352751034335, and an inclination of 6.557769140795678 degrees. The periapsis is 2.906600964231758 AU, while the apoapsis is 3.319140558923654 AU.

Synthesized by Vinony from 35 facts across 4 sources: Wikidata, NASA, Jpl Sbdb, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Picture of the Day · NASA

Pathfinder on Mars

Pathfinder on Mars

2026-07-04

On July 4th, 1997, using its own array of fireworks, a parachute, and a cocoon of airbags, the Mars Pathfinder spacecraft bounced like a giant beach ball at least 15 times before it came to rest on the surface of Mars at 10:07 AM Pacific Daylight Time. After its then novel airbag-assisted landing sequence was completed, Pathfinder transmitted this color mosaic to mission operators on Earth. In the scene from another world, the Mars Sojourner robot rover is visible in the foreground, crouched on top of the unfolded Pathfinder. About the size of a large house cat, the six-wheeled, solar-powered Sojourner became the first successful Martian rover. Surrounding Pathfinder are deflated airbags and the rock-strewn terrain of the Ares Vallis floodplain. In the distance Martian hills appear against a dusty brownish sky. The Pathfinder lander was subsequently renamed the Carl Sagan Memorial Station.

via NASA APOD

Small body data

48 Doris (A857 SA)

Orbit class
Main-belt Asteroid
Diameter
216.473 km
Albedo
0.065
Rotation period
11.890 h
Absolute magnitude
7.110 H
Earth MOID
1.930 AU

via NASA/JPL Small-Body Database

Key facts

Discovered by
Hermann Mayer Salomon Goldschmidt
Discovery date
19 September 1857
Pronunciation
/ ˈ d ɔːr ɪ s /
Named after
Doris
Alternative designations
1857 SA, 1948 FE
Minor planet category
Main belt
Adjectives
Dorian / ˈ d ɔːr i ə n /
Aphelion
500.093 million km (3.343 AU)
Perihelion
430.463 million km (2.877 AU)
Semi major axis
465.278 million km (3.110 AU )
Orbital period sidereal
2003.453 d (5.49 a )
Mean anomaly
336.191°
Inclination
6.554°
Longitude of ascending node
183.754°
Argument of perihelion
257.583°
Dimensions
278 km × 142 km
Mean diameter
215 ± 3 km , 221.8 ± 7.5 km ( IRAS )
Mass
(6.9 ± 2.9) × 10 kg , (12.3 ± 6.0) × 10 kg

via Wikipedia infobox

~1 min read

Encyclopedic overview

48 Doris is one of the largest main belt asteroids. It was discovered on 19 September 1857 by Hermann Goldschmidt from his balcony in Paris.

To find a name for the object, Jacques Babinet of the Academy of Sciences created a shortlist and asked the geologist Élie de Beaumont to make the selection. De Beaumont chose Doris, after an Oceanid in Greek mythology. Since Doris was discovered on the same night as 49 Pales, de Beaumont suggested naming the two "The Twins".

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “48 Doris” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (3)