File:98Ianthe_(Lightcurve_Inversion).png · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
OverviewAI-generated
98 Ianthe is a C-type asteroid located in the main asteroid belt, orbiting the Sun. It was discovered by Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters at the Litchfield Observatory on April 18, 1868. The object follows 97 Klotho and is followed by 99 Dike in its sequence. Its provisional designations include A868 HA, 1931 RK1, 1949 SE1, and 1975 XO.
Physically, 98 Ianthe has a diameter of 132.788 km and a rotation period of 16.479 hours. Its albedo is listed as 0.047 in one source and 0.029 in another, while its absolute magnitude is recorded as 8.96 or 8.95. Orbital parameters include a semi-major axis of 2.687283585614275, an eccentricity of 0.1878739662089167, and an inclination of 15.613. The periapsis is 2.182412960056802 and the apoapsis is 3.192154211171747.
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.
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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
98 Ianthe (A868 HA)
- Orbit class
- Main-belt Asteroid
- Diameter
- 132.788 km
- Albedo
- 0.029
- Rotation period
- 16.479 h
- Absolute magnitude
- 8.950 H
- Earth MOID
- 1.200 AU
via NASA/JPL Small-Body Database
Key facts
- Discovered by
- Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters
- Discovery date
- 18 April 1868
- Pronunciation
- / aɪ ˈ æ n θ iː /
- Named after
- Ianthe
- Minor planet category
- Main belt
- Adjectives
- Ianthean / aɪ ə n ˈ θ iː ə n /
- Observation arc
- 145.23 yr (53047 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.18807 AU (476.928 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 2.18872 AU (327.428 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.68839 AU (402.177 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 4.41 yr (1610.0 d )
- Average orbital speed
- 18.01 km/s
- Mean anomaly
- 262.019 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 13 24.949 / day
- Inclination
- 15.5778°
- Longitude of ascending node
- 354.000°
- Argument of perihelion
- 158.686°
- Earth moid
- 1.20327 AU (180.007 Gm)
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Followed by
- 99 Dike
- Follows
- 97 Klotho
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- 132.788
- Orbital period
- 1609.046799963197
- Image
- 98Ianthe (Lightcurve Inversion).png
Show 19 more facts
- discoverer or inventor
- Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters
- site of astronomical discovery
- Litchfield Observatory
- provisional designation
- A868 HA
- time of discovery or invention
- 1868-04-18
- orbital inclination
- 15.57591383219321
- albedo
- 0.029
- Commons category
- 98 Ianthe
- rotation period
- 16.479
- asteroid spectral type
- C-type asteroid
- absolute magnitude
- 8.96
- orbital eccentricity
- 0.1878739662089167
- semi-major axis of an orbit
- 2.687283585614275
- periapsis
- 2.182412960056802
- apoapsis
- 3.192154211171747
- longitude of ascending node
- 353.8725347905175
- argument of periapsis
- 158.1595545910168
- mean anomaly
- 303.3774414884672
- time of periapsis
- 2461253.578740496
- epoch
- November 21, 2025
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~1 min read
Encyclopedic overview
98 Ianthe is a large main-belt asteroid, named for three figures in Greek mythology. It is very dark and is composed of carbonates. It was one of the numerous (for his time—the 19th century) discoveries by C. H. F. Peters, who found it on April 18, 1868, from Clinton, New York.
This body is orbiting the Sun with a period of 4.41 years and an eccentricity of 0.186. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 15.6° to the plane of the ecliptic. Measurements of the cross-section dimension yield a size of around 105 km. Photometric observations of this asteroid during 2007 at the Organ Mesa Observatory in Las Cruces, New Mexico were used to create a light curve plot. This showed a synodic rotation period of 16.479±0.001 hours and a brightness variation of 0.27±0.02 magnitude during each cycle. It is classified as a C-type asteroid, indicating a dark, carbonaceous surface.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “98 Ianthe” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.