72 Feronia
Encyclopedia
72 Feronia is a quite large and dark main belt asteroid
. It was the first asteroid discovery by C. H. F. Peters
, on May 29, 1861 from Hamilton College, New York State. It was initially thought that Peters had merely seen the already known asteroid 66 Maja
, but T.H. Safford
showed that it was a new body. Safford named it after Feronia
, a Roman
fertility
goddess.
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 the first asteroid discovery by C. H. F. Peters
Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters
Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters was a German-American astronomer, and one of the first to discover asteroids....
, on May 29, 1861 from Hamilton College, New York State. It was initially thought that Peters had merely seen the already known asteroid 66 Maja
66 Maja
66 Maja is a dark, quite large main-belt asteroid. It was discovered by Horace Tuttle on April 9, 1861, and named after Maia, one of the Pleiades in Greek mythology.-References:...
, but T.H. Safford
Truman Henry Safford
Truman Henry Safford was an American calculating prodigy. In later life he was an observatory director.He was born in Royalton, Vermont, USA on 6 January, 1836. At an early age he attracted public attention by his remarkable calculation powers. At the age of nine, a local priest asked him to...
showed that it was a new body. Safford named it after Feronia
Feronia
Feronia may mean:* Feronia , a goddess of fertility in Roman and Etruscan mythology* Feronia , a genus of plants* Feronia Inc., a plantations company operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, a Roman
Roman mythology
Roman mythology is the body of traditional stories pertaining to ancient Rome's legendary origins and religious system, as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans...
fertility
Fertility
Fertility is the natural capability of producing offsprings. As a measure, "fertility rate" is the number of children born per couple, person or population. Fertility differs from fecundity, which is defined as the potential for reproduction...
goddess.