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511 Davida

511 Davida is a main belt asteroid. It was discovered by R. S. Dugan in 1903. It is one of the largest asteroids, measuring 326 km in diameter, and is a C-type asteroid, which means that it is dark in colouring with a carbonate composition.

Davida is one of the few main belt asteroids whose shape has been determined by ground-based visual observation. In 2002, astronomers at the Keck Observatory used the Keck II telescope, which is fitted with adaptive optics, to photograph Davida. The image revealed a semi-oblong object with at least two flat facets. Its rotation period is about 5 hours.

Davida is named after David Peck Todd, an astronomy professor at Amherst College.

Asteroid 511 Davida imaged by the Keck Observatory, December 2002.


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01-04-2007 01:21:04