52 Europa Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
| Orbital characteristics 1 | |
|---|---|
| Orbit type | Main belt (Hygiea) |
| Semimajor axis | 3.098 AU |
| Perihelion distance | 2.784 AU |
| Aphelion distance | 3.412 AU |
| Orbital period | 5.45 years |
| Inclination | 7.47° |
| Eccentricity | 0.101 |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Diameter | 289 km |
| Rotation period 3 | 5.633 hours |
| Spectral class 1 | C |
| Abs. magnitude 1 | 6.31 |
| Albedo 1 4 | 0.058 |
| History 2 | |
| Discoverer | H. Goldschmidt, 1858 |
52 Europa, diameter 289 km, was discovered on February 4, 1858 by H. Goldschmidt. It is named after Europa, one of Zeus's conquests in Greek mythology.
Europa is the ninth largest known main belt asteroid and very dark in color. It belongs to the Hygiea asteroid family.
It should not be confused with Jupiter's moon Europa.