Skip to content
79 Eurynome

Image by 2427999 on Pixabay · Pixabay License

EntityQ208658· pop 45· linked from 10 articles

79 Eurynome

Sign in to save

Also known as (79) Eurynome, Eurynome

main-belt asteroid

OverviewAI-generated

79 Eurynome is an S-type asteroid located in the asteroid belt, orbiting the Sun. It was discovered on September 14, 1863, by James Craig Watson at the Detroit Observatory. The object received the provisional designation A863 RA and is named after Eurynome. In the sequence of numbered asteroids, it follows 78 Diana and is followed by 80 Sappho.

Physical measurements indicate a diameter of 63.479 kilometers and an albedo of 0.287. Its rotation period is 5.978 hours. The asteroid has an apparent magnitude of 9.35 and an absolute magnitude of 7.78. Orbital parameters include a semi-major axis of 2.443945322932561, an orbital inclination of 4.622, and an orbital eccentricity of 0.1910249477645753. The periapsis is 1.97709079527989, while the apoapsis is 2.910799850585231.

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

79 Eurynome (A863 RA)

Orbit class
Main-belt Asteroid
Diameter
63.479 km
Albedo
0.287
Rotation period
5.978 h
Absolute magnitude
7.780 H
Earth MOID
0.987 AU

via NASA/JPL Small-Body Database

Key facts

Discovered by
James Craig Watson
Discovery date
September 14, 1863
Pronunciation
/ j ʊ ˈ r ɪ n ə m iː /
Named after
Eurynome
Minor planet category
Main belt
Adjectives
Eurynomean, Eurynomian
Aphelion
435.949 million km (2.914 AU)
Perihelion
295.538 million km (1.976 AU)
Semi major axis
365.743 million km (2.445 AU )
Orbital period sidereal
1396.288 d (3.82 a )
Average orbital speed
18.87 km/s
Mean anomaly
149.498°
Inclination
4.622°
Longitude of ascending node
206.802°
Argument of perihelion
200.384°
Dimensions
66.5 km
Synodic rotation period
5.978 h
Spectral type
S

via Wikipedia infobox

~1 min read

Encyclopedic overview

79 Eurynome is a quite large and bright main-belt asteroid composed of silicate rock. Eurynome was discovered by J. C. Watson on September 14, 1863. It was his first asteroid discovery and is named after one of the many Eurynomes in Greek mythology. It is orbiting the Sun with a period of 3.82 years and has a rotation period of six hours. This is the eponymous member of a proposed asteroid family with at least 43 members, including 477 Italia and 917 Lyka.

References

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “79 Eurynome” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (2)