241 Germania is a very large main-belt asteroid. It was discovered by Robert Luther on 12 September 1884 in Düsseldorf. Germania is named after Germany.
The object measures approximately 169 to 182 km in diameter and rotates on its axis once every 16 hours. It is classified as a B-type asteroid and is probably composed of dark, primitive carbonaceous material.
Discovery
Germania was discovered by Robert Luther on 12 September 1884 in Düsseldorf.
Naming
The object is named after Germany, Germania is the Latin name for Germany.
Observations
The observation arc of Germania began on 24 November 1884 and was last observed on 14 April 2026. Giving it a long observation arc of 141 years. In these 141 years, Germania has been observed 6571 times.
Orbit
Germania is a main belt asteroid that orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.722–3.695 astronomical units (AU) with a semi-major axis or average orbital distance of 3.046 AU once every 5.32 years (for reference, Ceres's orbit is at 2.77 AU).
Germania's orbit has an eccentricity of 0.1062 and an inclination of 5.518° with respect to the ecliptic.
Physical characteristics Size, mass, density and rotation Germania has a diameter of approximately 169 to 182 km, with a geometric albedo of . Germania has a mass of and a density of . Germania rotates on its axis once every 15.51 hours.
Composition and spectrum Germania is classified as a B-type asteroid and is likely composed of dark, primitive carbonaceous material. The B-V color index of Germania is measured at , which suggests a neutral and grey color for the object.
See also
List of minor planets: 1–1000 List of exceptional asteroids
References
External links
The Asteroid Orbital Elements Database Minor Planet Discovery Circumstances Asteroid Lightcurve Data File