76 Freia
Encyclopedia
76 Freia is a very large main-belt asteroid
. It orbits in the outer part of the asteroid belt and is classified as a Cybele asteroid
. Its composition is very primitive and it is extremely dark in color. Freia was discovered by the astronomer
Heinrich d'Arrest on October 21, 1862, in Copenhagen
, Denmark
. It was his first and only asteroid discovery. It is named after the goddess Freyja in Norse mythology
.
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 orbits in the outer part of the asteroid belt and is classified as a Cybele asteroid
Cybele asteroid
Cybele asteroids are a group of asteroids in the outer main belt with a semi-major axis between 3.27 AU and 3.7 AU, an eccentricity less than 0.3, and an inclination less than 25°. The group is named for the asteroid 65 Cybele...
. Its composition is very primitive and it is extremely dark in color. Freia was discovered by the astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
Heinrich d'Arrest on October 21, 1862, in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. It was his first and only asteroid discovery. It is named after the goddess Freyja in Norse mythology
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...
.