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Celestial Object

Psyche

Asteroids and Minor Planets

16 Psyche ( SY-kee) is a large M-type asteroid, which was discovered by the Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis, on 17 March 1852 and named after the Greek goddess Psyche. The prefix "16" signifies that it was the sixteenth minor planet in order of discovery. It is the largest and most massive of the M-type asteroids, and one of the dozen most massive asteroids. This body has a mean diameter of approximately 222 kilometers (138 mi) and contains about one percent of the cumulative mass of the whole asteroid belt.

Facts
Object Type
M-type asteroid 1
Discovery Year
1852 1
Classification
Catalogue
Other or Uncatalogued 1
Connections

Orbits

Sun, Celestial Objects
Source Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Sources
1. Wikipedia: 16 Psyche
  • 16 Psyche, lead section
    a large M-type asteroid
  • 16 Psyche, infobox (Discovery date)
    17 March 1852
  • In Category: Celestial Objects, 16 Psyche, Wikipedia summary
  • In Group: Main-Belt Asteroids, Lead: kind of object
    contains about one percent of the cumulative mass of the whole asteroid belt
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Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Entity description, psyche catalogue classification
    16 Psyche, generally known simply as Psyche, is a large M-type asteroid in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, discovered by the Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis on 17 March 1852. It is the largest and most massive of the M-type asteroids, with a mean diameter of approximately 222 kilometres.
  • Orbits: Sun, 16 Psyche, orbital characteristics section (edges wave 2)
    Psyche is a main belt asteroid that orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.53-3.32 astronomical units (AU) with a semi-major axis or average orbital distance of 2.92 AU once every 4.998 years
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