1453 Fennia
Encyclopedia
1453 Fennia is an inner main belt asteroid
. It was discovered on March 8, 1938 by the Finnish astronomer Yrjö Väisälä
at Iso-Heikkilä Observatory
in Turku
, Finland
. The asteroid's name is the Latin
word for Finland.
In 2007, a team of astronomers made photometric
observations of Fennia, and discovered that it is orbited by a moon
. The moon is at least a quarter the size of Fennia itself, and has an orbital period of approximately 23 hours. The team also found that Fennia has a rotation period
of 4.4 hours and is likely spheroidal in shape.
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
. It was discovered on March 8, 1938 by the Finnish astronomer Yrjö Väisälä
Yrjö Väisälä
Yrjö Väisälä was a Finnish astronomer and physicist.His main contributions were in the field of optics, but he was also very active in geodetics, astronomy and optical metrology...
at Iso-Heikkilä Observatory
Iso-Heikkilä Observatory
Iso-Heikkilä Observatory is an amateur astronomical observatory in the Iso-Heikkilä district of Turku, Finland. It was operated by the University of Turku from 1937 to 1972 but is now used by a local division of Ursa Astronomical Association.-History:...
in Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. The asteroid's name is the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
word for Finland.
In 2007, a team of astronomers made photometric
Photometry (astronomy)
Photometry is a technique of astronomy concerned with measuring the flux, or intensity of an astronomical object's electromagnetic radiation...
observations of Fennia, and discovered that it is orbited by a moon
Asteroid moon
A minor planet moon is an astronomical body that orbits a minor planet as its natural satellite. It is thought that many asteroids and Kuiper belt objects may possess moons, in some cases quite substantial in size...
. The moon is at least a quarter the size of Fennia itself, and has an orbital period of approximately 23 hours. The team also found that Fennia has a rotation period
Rotation period
The rotation period of an astronomical object is the time it takes to complete one revolution around its axis of rotation relative to the background stars...
of 4.4 hours and is likely spheroidal in shape.