240 Vanadis
Encyclopedia
240 Vanadis is a fairly large main-belt
asteroid
. It is very dark and is classified as a C-type asteroid
, probably composed of primitive carbonaceous
material.
It was discovered by A. Borrelly
on August 27, 1884, in Marseilles and was named after Freyja (Vanadis), the Norse
fertility goddess.
Asteroid belt
The asteroid belt is the region of the Solar System located roughly between the orbits of the planets Mars and Jupiter. It is occupied by numerous irregularly shaped bodies called asteroids or minor planets...
asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
. It is very dark and is classified as a C-type asteroid
C-type asteroid
C-type asteroids are carbonaceous asteroids. They are the most common variety, forming around 75% of known asteroids, and an even higher percentage in the outer part of the asteroid belt beyond 2.7 AU, which is dominated by this asteroid type...
, probably composed of primitive carbonaceous
Carbonaceous
Carbonaceous is the defining attribute of a substance rich in carbon. Particularly, carbonaceous hydrocarbons are very unsaturated, high-molecular-weight hydrocarbons, having an elevated carbon:hydrogen ratio....
material.
It was discovered by A. Borrelly
Alphonse Louis Nicolas Borrelly
Alphonse Louis Nicolas Borrelly was a French astronomer.Working in Marseille, he discovered asteroids and comets.He discovered the periodic comet 19P/Borrelly.The asteroid 1539 Borrelly was named in his honour....
on August 27, 1884, in Marseilles and was named after Freyja (Vanadis), the Norse
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
fertility goddess.