71 Niobe

71 Niobe

Orbital characteristics 1
Orbit type	Main belt
Semimajor axis	2.755 AU
Perihelion distance	2.270 AU
Aphelion distance	3.240 AU
Orbital period	4.57 years
Inclination	23.26°
Eccentricity	0.176
Physical characteristics 1
Diameter	83.4 km
Rotation period 3	14.38 hours
Spectral class	S
Albedo 4	0.305
Abs. magnitude	7.30
History 2
Discoverer	R. Luther, 1861

71 Niobe (nye'-o-bee) is a quite large main belt asteroid. It has very bright surface and is probably a mixture of iron-nickel and silicate rock.

It was discovered by Robert Luther on August 13, 1861 and named after Niobe, a character in Greek mythology.