Asteroid 114 Kassandra
While making yesterdays observation of 81P Wild 2 I spoted at the bottom of the plate 114 Kassandra, 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. The asteroid is featured in the 2009 film Meteor: Path to Destruction, in which it is split in two by a comet, and set on a collision course with Earth.
G14 in Mayhill, NM. 03:00 - 03:30 UTC. 3 x 300 sec luminance subs
[sub]Links to animated gif[/sub]
*[sub]T-type asteroids are rare inner-belt asteroids of unknown composition with dark, featureless and moderately red spectra, and a moderate absorption feature shortwards of 0.85 m. [/sub]
G14 in Mayhill, NM. 03:00 - 03:30 UTC. 3 x 300 sec luminance subs
[sub]Links to animated gif[/sub]
*[sub]T-type asteroids are rare inner-belt asteroids of unknown composition with dark, featureless and moderately red spectra, and a moderate absorption feature shortwards of 0.85 m. [/sub]