951 Gaspra

951 Gaspra
	Galileo image of Gaspra; colors are exaggerated
Discovery
Discovered by	G. Neujmin
Discovery site	Simeiz Obs.
Discovery date	30 July 1916
Designations
MPC designation	(951) Gaspra
Pronunciation	/ˈɡæsprə/
Named after	Gaspra; (Crimean spa town)
Alternative designations	1916 S45 · 1916 Σ45; SIGMA 45 · A913 YA; 1955 MG1
Minor planet category	main-belt · (inner); Flora
Orbital characteristics
	Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
	Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	103.54 yr (37,819 days)
Aphelion	2.5931 AU
Perihelion	1.8267 AU
Semi-major axis	2.2099 AU
Eccentricity	0.1734
Orbital period (sidereal)	3.29 yr (1,200 days)
Mean anomaly	232.83°
Mean motion	0° 18m 0s / day
Inclination	4.1063°
Longitude of ascending node	253.06°
Argument of perihelion	129.94°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	18.2 km × 10.5 km × 8.9 km; 12.2 km (mean diameter)
Mass	2–3 × 1015 kg (estimate)
Mean density	~2.7 g/cm3 (estimate)
Synodic rotation period	7.042 h (0.293 d)
Axial tilt	72°
Geometric albedo	0.246±0.032
Spectral type	Tholen = S; SMASS = S; B–V = 0.870; U–B = 0.554
Absolute magnitude (H)	11.46

951 Gaspra is an S-type asteroid that orbits very close to the inner edge of the asteroid belt. Gaspra was discovered by Russian astronomer G. N. Neujmin in 1916. Neujmin named it after Gaspra, a Black Sea retreat that was visited by his contemporaries, such as Gorky and Tolstoy.

Gaspra was the first asteroid ever to be closely approached when it was visited by the Galileo spacecraft, which flew by on its way to Jupiter on 29 October 1991.^[7]

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Discovery^[1]^[2]
Galileo image of Gaspra; colors are exaggerated
Discovered by	G. Neujmin
Discovery site	Simeiz Obs.
Discovery date	30 July 1916
Designations
MPC designation	(951) Gaspra
Pronunciation	/ˈɡæsprə/
Named after	Gaspra^[3] (Crimean spa town)
Alternative designations	1916 S45 · 1916 Σ45 SIGMA 45 · A913 YA 1955 MG₁
Minor planet category	main-belt · (inner) Flora^[4]
Orbital characteristics^[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	103.54 yr (37,819 days)
Aphelion	2.5931 AU
Perihelion	1.8267 AU
Semi-major axis	2.2099 AU
Eccentricity	0.1734
Orbital period (sidereal)	3.29 yr (1,200 days)
Mean anomaly	232.83°
Mean motion	0° 18^m 0^s / day
Inclination	4.1063°
Longitude of ascending node	253.06°
Argument of perihelion	129.94°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	18.2 km × 10.5 km × 8.9 km^[5] 12.2 km (mean diameter)^[1]
Mass	2–3 × 10¹⁵ kg (estimate)
Mean density	~2.7 g/cm³ (estimate)^[6]
Synodic rotation period	7.042 h (0.293 d)^[1]
Axial tilt	72°^[5]
Geometric albedo	0.246±0.032^[1]
Spectral type	Tholen = S^[1] SMASS = S^[1] B–V = 0.870^[1] U–B = 0.554^[1]
Absolute magnitude (H)	11.46^[1]