File:000662-asteroid_shape_model_(662)_Newtonia.png · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
OverviewAI-generated
662 Newtonia is an asteroid located in the asteroid belt, orbiting the Sun. It was discovered on March 30, 1908, by Joel Hastings Metcalf at the Taunton site. The object carries the provisional designations 1908 CW, 1929 UE, and A908 FF. It is named after Newton.
Physically, 662 Newtonia has a diameter of 22.127 km and an albedo of 0.228. Its rotation period is 21.095 hours, and its absolute magnitude is listed as 10.43 in one source and 10.42 in another. Orbital parameters include a semi-major axis of 2.551779980813696 AU, an eccentricity of 0.2186422912674593, and an inclination of 4.128351044489952 degrees. The periapsis is 1.993852958998157 AU, while the apoapsis is 3.109707002629236 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
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
662 Newtonia (A908 FF)
- Orbit class
- Main-belt Asteroid
- Diameter
- 22.127 km
- Albedo
- 0.228
- Rotation period
- 21.095 h
- Absolute magnitude
- 10.420 H
- Earth MOID
- 0.977 AU
via NASA/JPL Small-Body Database
Key facts
- Discovered by
- Joel Hastings Metcalf
- Discovery site
- Taunton, Massachusetts
- Discovery date
- 30 March 1908
- Pronunciation
- / nj uː ˈ t oʊ n i ə /
- Alternative designations
- 1908 CW
- Observation arc
- 106.37 yr (38852 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.1060 AU (464.65 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 1.9992 AU (299.08 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.5526 AU (381.86 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 4.08 yr (1489.6 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 124.757 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 14 30.012 / day
- Inclination
- 4.1202°
- Longitude of ascending node
- 133.744°
- Argument of perihelion
- 165.567°
- Mean radius
- 11.81 ± 0.75 km
- Synodic rotation period
- 21.095 h (0.8790 d )
- Geometric albedo
- 0.1999 ± 0.028
via Wikipedia infobox
~1 min read
Encyclopedic overview
662 Newtonia is a minor planet, specifically an asteroid orbiting mostly in the asteroid belt.
The asteroid's major details are relatively unknown
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “662 Newtonia” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.