28 Bellona

28 Bellona
	A light curve model of 28 Bellona on the top and an image of 28 Bellona on the bottom.
Discovery
Discovered by	Robert Luther
Discovery date	1 March 1854
Designations
Pronunciation	/bɛˈloʊnə/
Named after	Bellona
Alternative designations	1951 CC2
Minor planet category	Main belt
Adjectives	Bellonian /bɛˈloʊniən/
Symbol	(historical)
Orbital characteristics
	Epoch 21 November 2025 (JD 2461000.5)
Aphelion	3.191 AU
Perihelion	2.364 AU
Semi-major axis	2.777 AU
Eccentricity	0.149
Orbital period (sidereal)	4.628 yr (1690.55 d)
Mean anomaly	65.459°
Inclination	9.432°
Longitude of ascending node	144.151°
Argument of perihelion	343.462°
Jupiter MOID	1.872 AU
TJupiter	3.299
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	135 ± 7 km (ADAM)
Mass	(2.62±0.15)×1018 kg (composite estimate); (1.57±0.31)×1018 kg
Mean density	2.0 ± 0.3 g/cm3; 1.22±0.31 g/cm3
Synodic rotation period	15.70785 h
Pole ecliptic longitude	99° ± 4°
Pole ecliptic latitude	−16° ± 6°
Geometric albedo	0.1763
Spectral type	S
Absolute magnitude (H)	7.09

28 Bellona is a large asteroid located in the main-belt. It was discovered by German astronomer Robert Luther on 1 March 1854, and named after Bellōna, the Roman goddess of war; the name was chosen to mark the beginning of the Crimean War. Its historical symbol was Bellona's whip and spear; it was encoded in Unicode 17.0 as U+1CECE 𜻎 ().

Bellona is a stony (S-type) asteroid with a cross-section size of around 135 km. 28 Bellona is orbiting the Sun with a period of 4.63 years.

Bellona has been studied by radar. Photometric observations of this asteroid at the Palmer Divide Observatory in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 2007 gave a light curve with a period of 15.707 ± 0.002 hours and a brightness variation of 0.27 ± 0.03 in magnitude. This report is in close agreement with a period estimate of 15.695 hours reported in 1983, and rejects a longer period of 16.523 hours reported in 1979.

A three-dimensional model of 28 Bellona based on its light curve

Notes

↑ Calculated from its standard gravitational parameter GM = 0.105±0.021 km³/s².

References

1 2 "Bellona". Oxford English Dictionary (online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
1 2 3 4 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 28 Bellona". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 22 January 2026. 2025-07-08 last obs
1 2 3 4 5 Viikinkoski, M.; Hanuš, J.; Kaasalainen, M.; Marchis, F.; Ďurech, J. (November 2017). "Adaptive optics and lightcurve data of asteroids: twenty shape models and information content analysis". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 607: A117. arXiv:1708.05191. Bibcode:2017A&A...607A.117V. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201731456. ISSN 0004-6361. S2CID 67813915.
↑ Carry, B. (December 2012), "Density of asteroids", Planetary and Space Science, 73 (1): 98–118, arXiv:1203.4336, Bibcode:2012P&SS...73...98C, doi:10.1016/j.pss.2012.03.009, S2CID 119226456. See Table 1.
1 2 Fuentes-Muñoz, Oscar; Farnocchia, Davide; Giorgini, Jon D.; Park, Ryan S. (1 December 2025). "Asteroid Mass Estimation by Mutual Perturbations During Close Encounters After Gaia Focused Product Release". The Astronomical Journal. 170 (6): 353. Bibcode:2025AJ....170..353F. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ae0cc9. ISSN 0004-6256. S2CID 283347135.
↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
↑ Bala, Gavin Jared; Miller, Kirk (18 September 2023). "Unicode request for historical asteroid symbols" (PDF). unicode.org. Unicode. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
↑ "Miscellaneous Symbols Supplement" (PDF). unicode.org. The Unicode Consortium. 2025. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
↑ "Radar-Detected Asteroids and Comets". NASA/JPL Asteroid Radar Research. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
↑ Warner, Brian D. (December 2007), "Asteroid Lightcurve Analysis at the Palmer Divide Observatory - March-May 2007", The Minor Planet Bulletin, 34 (4): 104–107, Bibcode:2007MPBu...34..104W.

External links

Lightcurve plot of 28 Bellona, Palmer Divide Observatory, B. D. Warner (2007)
Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info Archived 16 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine)
Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR – Observatoire de Genève, Raoul Behrend
Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (1)-(5000) – Minor Planet Center
28 Bellona at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- Ephemeris · Observation prediction · Orbital info · Proper elements · Observational info
28 Bellona at the JPL Small-Body Database
- Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit viewer · Orbit parameters · Physical parameters

[6] Calculated from its standard gravitational parameter GM = 0.105±0.021 km³/s².

[OED-1] 1 2 "Bellona". Oxford English Dictionary (online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)

[jpldata-2] 1 2 3 4 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 28 Bellona". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 22 January 2026. 2025-07-08 last obs

[Viikinkoski2017-3] 1 2 3 4 5 Viikinkoski, M.; Hanuš, J.; Kaasalainen, M.; Marchis, F.; Ďurech, J. (November 2017). "Adaptive optics and lightcurve data of asteroids: twenty shape models and information content analysis". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 607: A117. arXiv:1708.05191. Bibcode:2017A&A...607A.117V. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201731456. ISSN 0004-6361. S2CID 67813915.

[Carry2012-4] Carry, B. (December 2012), "Density of asteroids", Planetary and Space Science, 73 (1): 98–118, arXiv:1203.4336, Bibcode:2012P&SS...73...98C, doi:10.1016/j.pss.2012.03.009, S2CID 119226456. See Table 1.

[Fuentes-Muñoz2025-5] 1 2 Fuentes-Muñoz, Oscar; Farnocchia, Davide; Giorgini, Jon D.; Park, Ryan S. (1 December 2025). "Asteroid Mass Estimation by Mutual Perturbations During Close Encounters After Gaia Focused Product Release". The Astronomical Journal. 170 (6): 353. Bibcode:2025AJ....170..353F. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ae0cc9. ISSN 0004-6256. S2CID 283347135.

[7] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[astunicode-8] Bala, Gavin Jared; Miller, Kirk (18 September 2023). "Unicode request for historical asteroid symbols" (PDF). unicode.org. Unicode. Retrieved 26 September 2023.

[Unicode-1CEC0-9] "Miscellaneous Symbols Supplement" (PDF). unicode.org. The Unicode Consortium. 2025. Retrieved 9 September 2025.

[detected-10] "Radar-Detected Asteroids and Comets". NASA/JPL Asteroid Radar Research. Retrieved 30 October 2011.

[Warner2007-11] Warner, Brian D. (December 2007), "Asteroid Lightcurve Analysis at the Palmer Divide Observatory - March-May 2007", The Minor Planet Bulletin, 34 (4): 104–107, Bibcode:2007MPBu...34..104W.