2 Pallas
2 Pallas (symbol: .svg){kind=small}
) is the second asteroid discovered in the solar system after Ceres. It was discovered by Heinrich Wilhelm Matthäus Olbers on March 28, 1802.[1] 2 Pallas is named after Pallas Athena, an alternate name for the goddess Athena.[2]
The orbit of 2 Pallas is highly inclined and moderately eccentric, with a very high axial tilt of 84°. [3]
2 Pallas has a mass estimated to be 7% of the total mass of the asteroid belt.[4] The asteroid is the third largest asteroid in terms of mass and the second largest in terms of diameter.
2 Pallas is believed to have a composition like silicate and “carbonaceous chondrite” meteors. [5]
2 Pallas Media
Size comparison: the first 10 asteroids profiled against the Moon. Pallas is number two.
High-resolution images of the north (at left) and south (at right) hemispheres of Pallas, made possible by the Adaptive-Optics (AO)-fed SPHERE imager on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in 2020. Two large impact basins could have been created by Palladian asteroid–forming impacts. The bright spot in the southern hemisphere is reminiscent of the salt deposits on Ceres.
The symbols for Ceres and Pallas, as published in 1802
Pallas symbol (fixed width)
Cordate variant of Pallas symbol
Sulphur symbol (fixed width)
Pallas has a high eccentricity and a highly inclined orbit
Relative sizes of the four largest asteroids. Pallas is second from right.
An ultraviolet image of Pallas showing its flattened shape, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2007
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References
- ↑ JPL Small-Body Database Browser. ssd.jpl.nasa.gov (2011). Retrieved March 21, 2011.
- ↑ Schmadel, Lutz D.. Dictionary of minor planet names, Volume 1 (2003)Springer. p. 15. ISBN 3540002383. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
- ↑ Tomaswick, Andy. Pallas Has a Very Blue Family (in en). Universe Today (2025-03-16). Retrieved 2025-10-11.
- ↑ Pitjeva, E. V.. High-Precision Ephemerides of Planets—EPM and Determination of Some Astronomical Constants. Solar System Research 39 (3) (2005). p. 176. doi:10.1007/s11208-005-0033-2. Retrieved 2011-03-23.
- ↑ published, Charles Q. Choi. Massive asteroid Pallas has a violent, cratered past, study reveals (in en). Space (2020-02-11). Retrieved 2025-10-11.
