Main belt objects

Minor planets in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Detail from portrait of Alexander von Humboldt (1806) by Friedrich Georg Weitsch.
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Focus On: (54) Alexandra

Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), a German polymath whose work pioneered or foreshadowed biogeography, modern geomagnetic and meteorological monitoring, ecology and holistic views of the universe. He also helped establish geography as an independent scientific discipline.

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Hestia full of Blessings, 6th century tapestry from Egypt depicting Hestia seated on a throne, centre, giving out blessings in the form of pomegranates.
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Focus On: (46) Hestia

Name origin: Greek goddess of the hearth (both private and municipal) and the home. Hestia presides over the cooking of bread and the preparation of the family meal. She was also the goddess of the sacrificial flame and received a share of every sacrifice to the gods.

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Detail of Apollo and Daphne, a life-sized marble sculpture made between 1622 and 1625 by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680), depicting the initial stage of Daphne's transformation into a laurel tree.
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Focus On: (41) Daphne

Name origin: Greek Naiad who was transformed into a laurel tree. Daphne was loved by the god Apollo, who pursued her until she grew exhausted and cried out to Gaia for help. The goddess transformed her into a laurel tree which Apollo then adopted as his sacred plant.

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Detail from photo of a statue to Harmonia in the Harmony Society gardens, Old Economy Village (now Ambridge), PA. The statue is photographed from a distance; it is in the centre of an ornate hexagonal stone gazebo surrounded by a ring of wild flowers, on a stand in the middle of a pond. Harmonia is depicted standing, head slightly bowed, holding what appears to be a lyre.
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Focus On: (40) Harmonia

Harmonia was a daughter of Ares and Aphrodite and as such ruled both marital and martial harmony. Later classical writers sometimes gave her a more abstract representation, as a deity who presided over cosmic balance. She was considered the opposite of Eris.

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Focus On: (39) Laetitia

Laetitia’s name derives from the root word laeta, meaning “happy”, “glad”, “lucky”, “successful”, “prosperous”, “luxurious”, “lush”, or “abounding”, referring to happiness with prosperity and abundance. Laetitia would be portrayed wearing a garland, as wreaths were generally worn at ceremonial events and festivals, to depict celebration and seasonal rites.

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