114 Kassandra

114 Kassandra is a large and dark main-belt asteroid. It belongs to the rare class T. It was discovered by C. H. F. Peters on July 23, 1871, and is named after Cassandra, the prophetess in the tales of the Trojan War.

114 Kassandra

3D convex shape model of 114 Kassandra
Discovery
Discovered by	Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters
Discovery date	23 July 1871
Designations
MPC designation	(114) Kassandra
Pronunciation	/kəˈsændrə/[1]
Named after	Cassandra
Alternative designations	A871 OA
Minor planet category	Main belt
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	113.62 yr (41501 d)
Aphelion	3.0407 AU (454.88 Gm)
Perihelion	2.31581 AU (346.440 Gm)
Semi-major axis	2.67825 AU (400.660 Gm)
Eccentricity	0.13533
Orbital period (sidereal)	4.38 yr (1600.9 d)
Average orbital speed	18.12 km/s
Mean anomaly	197.019°
Mean motion	0° 13m 29.525s / day
Inclination	4.9367°
Longitude of ascending node	164.222°
Argument of perihelion	352.208°
Earth MOID	1.3244 AU (198.13 Gm)
Jupiter MOID	1.94976 AU (291.680 Gm)
TJupiter	3.359
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	94.178±0.954 km[2] 99.798 km[3] 100±14 km[4]
Mass	(1.335 ± 0.597/0.264)×1018 kg[5]
Mean density	3.051 ± 1.365/0.603 g/cm3[5]
Equatorial surface gravity	0.0402 m/s²
Equatorial escape velocity	0.0615 km/s
Synodic rotation period	10.7431 h (0.44763 d)[2] 10.758 h[6]
Geometric albedo	0.089±0.014[2] 0.0868 ± 0.0252[3]
Temperature	~170 K
Spectral type	T (Tholen)[3]
Absolute magnitude (H)	8.51,[2] 8.275[3]

This object is classified as a rare T-type asteroid, with parts of the spectrum displaying properties similar to the mineral troilite and to carbonaceous chondrite.^[7] The shape of the spectrum also appears similar to fine grain from the Ornans meteorite, which landed in France in 1868.^[8] The light curve for this asteroid displays a period of 10.758 ± 0.004 hours with a brightness variation of 0.25 ± 0.01 in magnitude.^[6]

In 2001, 114 Kassandra was observed by radar from the Arecibo Observatory. The return signal matched an effective diameter of 100 ± 14 km. This is consistent with the asteroid dimensions computed through other means.^[4]

In popular media

The 2009 miniseries Meteor featured 114 Kassandra being sent on a collision course with Earth due to a comet impact and the effort by scientists to stop it.