Who knows list of 100 largest asteroids?

[dalter]

I have been looking for a list of the 100 largest asteroids ranked by size. I confess it seemed like an easy google search, but no such luck.

Can one of you point me in the right direction please?

Dan Alter

 

[3488]

Hi Dan,

Leave it to me. I'll find it. When i do, I will post a link here for you.

Andrew Brown.

 

[3488]

Hi Dan, I've done better, found a list of the largest 500 asteroids.

Largest 500 Asteroids.

Hope this helps.

Andrew Brown.

 

[MeteorWayne]

Well, what kind of a list to you want? Do you want only Main Belt asteroids, or do you want to include Centaurs, Trojans, and Trans Neptunian Objects?

I have list current through 2006 for all objects, but I haven't had the 40 hours or so it takes to ingest the latest data.

And they are not separted by source region.

MW

 

[MeteorWayne]

Hi Dan, I've done better, found a list of the largest 500 asteroids.

Largest 500 Asteroids.

Hope this helps.

Andrew Brown.

Any idea on how current that list is, Andrew? And whether they are NEAs, MBAs, Centaurs, Trojans?

 

[99980]

Hello MeteorWayne. Tho not directly related to this topic I would appreciate your further thoughts to the meteoroid (asteroid?) sighting which was the subject of a posting I made late August 2007 under the topic meteorite? to which I have added a further post yesterday. Many thanks. John

 

[dalter]

Thank You Andrew Brown, Just Main Belt MeteorWayne asked?

Thank You ,

Just what I was looking for,

MeteorWayne asked if I was asking about Trojans, TN)s, etc to.

Just main belt, so if this list does include non-main belt in the top 100, I would want to know their names.

Dan Alter

P.S. I have a really interesting question next.

 

[origin]

Re: Thank You Andrew Brown, Just Main Belt MeteorWayne asked?

P.S. I have a really interesting question next.

Well, we are all waiting breathlessly -- what is your question?

 

[CalliArcale]

Re: Thank You Andrew Brown, Just Main Belt MeteorWayne asked?

Just main belt, so if this list does include non-main belt in the top 100, I would want to know their names

Well, if you want lists of names, go here: Lists and Plots: Minor Planets (IAU Minor Planet Center). It's kind of a fire-hose of information, though.

Looking at Andrew's list, it says right up front that it does not include Trans-Neptunian Objects. It is restricted to objects observed by IRAS. I have no idea how current it is, but the actual file has a last modified date of Sunday, May 15, 2005 6:20:03 PM, so it cannot be more current than that.

 

[MeteorWayne]

Unfortunately, noe of those list include Main Belt Asteroids.

I'll suggest it to them, but with the influx of new discoveries, unless they get some dramatic megamilliondollar gift, I doubt they will have the time and personnel to create such a list, since there are probably close to 100,000 main belt asteroids already discovered.

Here's the current plot:

http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/iau/lists/InnerPlot.html

 

[MeteorWayne]

Just a factoid.... There are more than 225,000 numbered minor planets (225,088 is the highest number I've found).

This of course includes NEOs, Main Belt asteroids, Centaurs, Trojans, Kuiper Belt and Scattered disk objects, etc.

There at least 5 times more (probably 10 to 20 times more) with only preliminary designations (the 2009 WM1 type).

So we have already discovered several million objects in the solar system besides the 8 Planets and 5 dwarf planets.

Most have been found in the last decade. Simply amazing!!

MW

 

[dalter]

Does list include Trojans, Centaurs, or TNOs

Thank You MeteorWayne for asking the question.

After looking up the definitions, the answer is No.

Andrew Brown's list is exactly what we need = the main belt asteroids.

Since we are looking at the hundred largest only, which have all been long ago discovered,
his list is perfect for the question I will ask next.

Rough draft tonight, an edit, and then you will get a harder question to answer.

Dan Alter

 

[origin]

Re: Does list include Trojans, Centaurs, or TNOs

Thank You MeteorWayne for asking the question.

After looking up the definitions, the answer is No.

Andrew Brown's list is exactly what we need = the main belt asteroids.

Since we are looking at the hundred largest only, which have all been long ago discovered,
his list is perfect for the question I will ask next.

Rough draft tonight, an edit, and then you will get a harder question to answer.

Dan Alter

The anticipation is killiing me, what is the question already!

 

[MeteorWayne]

Some warnings about the list Andrew linked to. It is old, inaccurate and incomplete.

It is based on IRAS data from 1983.

More refined estimates have come out in the intervening 26 years and vary up to 50% from the diameters in that list.

Also, just a spot check of the first 20 numbered asteroids show that at least three are missing, including 2 in the top 20 in size.

Caveat emptor!

 

[dalter]

Re: List 500 largest asteroids not up to date MeteorWayne

Thank you,

Then how do we get an up to date list. I am close to finishing next question for 'Ask Astronomer'. An up to date list will simplify getting the answer quickly for everyone.

Dan Alter

 

[MeteorWayne]

A lot of hard work and research, just like anything else in science. Before you publish an idea, you first research the existing literature. I have been creating my own list of the largest asteroids, labeling them by category (Main Belt, Trojans, etc), and sorting by the latest current diameter estimate. It's taken me 5 or 6 hours so far, and I'm barely thorugh the top 30.