Pallas

Pallas
/pal"euhs/, n.
1. Also called Pallas Athena. Class. Myth. Athena (def. 1).
2. Astron. the second largest and one of the four brightest asteroids.

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      second largest asteroid in the asteroid belt and the second such object to be discovered, by the German astronomer and physician Wilhelm Olbers (Olbers, Wilhelm) on March 28, 1802, following the discovery of Ceres the year before. It is named after Pallas Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom.

      Pallas's orbital inclination of 34.8° is rather large, but its moderate orbital eccentricity (0.23), mean distance from the Sun of 2.77 astronomical units (about 414 million km [257 million miles]), and orbital period of 4.61 years are typical for asteroids located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. The discoveries of Ceres and Pallas, together with that of two more asteroids (Juno and Vesta) over the next five years, gave rise to the surprisingly long-lived but no longer generally accepted idea that the asteroids are remnants of the “missing” planet between Mars and Jupiter predicted by Bode's law—i.e., that they were pieces of an actual planet that broke up.

      Pallas has an ellipsoidal shape with radial dimensions of 285 × 262 × 250 km, equivalent to a sphere with a diameter of 530 km—i.e., about 15 percent of the diameter of the Moon. Its diameter and that of Vesta are so nearly the same that the two bodies can exchange titles of “second largest” and “third largest” when new measurements are published. Pallas's albedo (reflectivity) is 0.15. Its mass is about 2.2 × 1020 kg, and its density is about 2.9 grams per cubic cm (nearly 90 percent that of the Moon). Pallas turns once on its axis every 7.8 hours. Compositionally, Pallas resembles the carbonaceous chondrite meteorites. Its surface is known to contain hydrated minerals.

Edward F. Tedesco
 

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Pallas — may refer toClassical mythologyPallas the person * Pallas (son of Crius), a Titan associated with war * Pallas (Giant), a Giant and the son of Uranus and Gaia * Pallas (son of Pandion), the son of Pandion II, king of Athens, and father of the… …   Wikipedia

  • Pallas — (altgr. Παλλάς) steht in der griechischen Mythologie für: Pallas (Titan), einen Titanen, Nachfahren des Kreios und der Eurybia Pallas (Gigant), einen der Giganten Pallas Athene, griechische Göttin der Klugheit bzw. Weisheit Pallas (Kriegerin),… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Pallas's — could refer to any of the following animals, named after the biologist Peter PallasBirds* Pallas s Cormorant * Pallas s Fish eagle * Pallas s Gull * Pallas s Grasshopper warbler * Pallas s Reed Bunting * Pallas s Rosefinch * Pallas s Sandgrouse * …   Wikipedia

  • Pallas [2] — Pallas, 1) P. Athene, Göttin, s. Athene. 2) einer der zwischen Mars u. Jupiter die Sonne umkreisenden Asteroiden, mit dem Zeichen , od. nach Gould , von Olbers am 28. März 1802 entdeckt; hat in der langgezogenen Ellipse ihrer …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Pallas — PALLAS, ădis, Gr. Παλλὼς, άδος, ist so viel, als Minerva, welche diesen Namen, nach einigen, von πάλλεσθαι, sich bewegen, tanzen, hat, weil sie wegen ihrer immer grünenden Jugend zu dergleichen Lustbarkeit geneigt ist. Phurnut. de N.D. c. 20.… …   Gründliches mythologisches Lexikon

  • Pallas — Pal las (p[a^]l las), prop. n. [L., fr. Gr. Palla s, Palla dos.] (Gr. Myth.) Pallas Athena, the Grecian goddess of wisdom, called also {Athena}, {Pallas Athene} or {Athene}, and identified, at a later period, with the Roman Minerva. [1913 Webster …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Pallas [3] — PALLAS, antis, (⇒ Tab. V.) des Tartarus und der Erde Sohn. Hygin. Præf. p. 4. Er war einer derer Riesen, die den Himmel stürmeten. Er wurde aber von der Minerva dabey, durch der Medusa Kopf, in einen Stein verwandelt, welchen hernach Damastor,… …   Gründliches mythologisches Lexikon

  • Pallas — [pal′əs] n. [L < Gr] 1. Gr. Myth. ATHENA: also Pallas Athena 2. [ModL: so named (1802) by H. W. M. Olbers (1758 1840), Ger astronomer, after L Pallas, the goddess] the second asteroid discovered (1802), and the second largest ( c. 610 km or c …   English World dictionary

  • Pallas [1] — PALLAS, ădis, eine Tochter des Tritons, welchem Minerva zur Erziehung gegeben war. Sie hatte ein eben so männliches Gemüth, als diese, und wurde also deren liebste Gespielinn. Beyde Mägdchen beflissen sich auch lauter solcher Uebungen, die zum… …   Gründliches mythologisches Lexikon

  • Pallas [4] — PALLAS, antis, ein Riese und Vater der Pallas, die er, nach einigen, mit der Titanis zeugete. Er entbrannte nachher in böser Luft gegen sie, wurde aber darüber von ihr hingerichtet. Lucius Ampel. c. 9. p. 377. Sie zog ihm darauf noch dazu die… …   Gründliches mythologisches Lexikon

  • Pallas —    • Pallas,          ădis, см. Pallas Athena, Афина Паллада …   Реальный словарь классических древностей

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