Mercury resonance

Minor planets in estimated resonance with Mercury.

Digitally enhanced bas-relief marble sculpture of Aeolus blowing wind.
Aeolia family, Asteroids, Central main belt objects, Focus On, Gemini discovery, Main belt objects

Focus On: (396) Aeolia

Aiolos was the divine keeper of the winds and king of the mythical, floating island of Aiolia (Aeolia). He kept the violent Storm-Winds locked safely away inside the cavernous interior of his isle, releasing them only at the command of greatest gods to wreak devastation upon the world.

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Detail of Yrsa, illustration (1865) by August Malmström.
Asteroids, Central main belt objects, Focus On, Gemini discovery, Main belt objects

Focus On: (351) Yrsa

Yrsa is the wife of Swedish king Aðils and mother of Danish king Hrólfr Kraki. There are several different versions of her story; in each she is depicted as a charming girl. Her father Halga kidnapped her mother Oluf against her will and got her pregnant. She named the child Yrsa after her dog, and sent her to live as a shepherd until she was 12.

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Statue of the personification of Wisdom (Koinē Greek: Σοφία, Sophía) at the Library of Celsus in Ephesus (second century CE); crop.
Asteroids, Central main belt objects, Focus On, Libra discovery, Main belt objects

Focus On: (275) Sapientia

Sapientia is Latin for “wisdom”. The corresponding Ancient Greek term (Sophia) variously translates to “clever, skillful, intelligent, wise”; it also implies “skill in handicraft and art” in Homeric usage, which has been applied to both Hephaistos and Athene.

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Sunset over the Pacific Ocean as seen from the International Space Station. Tops of thunderclouds are also visible.
Asteroids, Central main belt objects, Focus On, Libra discovery, Main belt objects

Focus On: (224) Oceana

Name origin: Pacific Ocean, the largest on the planet, which covers approximately 46% of Earth’s water surface and about 32% of its total surface, more than its entire land area. Mean depth is 4km; the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench reaches 10.9km. The ocean straddles the International Date Line.

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Close-up photo of a carrion crow (Corvus corone) perching on a tree branch in Southend-on-Sea, U.K. The crow faces the camera with its head slightly tilted to the viewer's left.
Asteroids, Cancer discovery, Focus On, Koronis family, Main belt objects, Outer main belt objects

Focus On: (158) Koronis

Name origin: Thessalian princess in Greek myth, loved by the god Apollo. During her pregnancy, Koronis had an affair with a man named Iskhys; a raven informed Apollo of this, and either he or his sister Artemis killed her as a consequence. Later he felt remorse, and in anger against the raven turned its white feathers black.

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1650 etching in colour displaying a view of Toulouse from the west and noting its status as capital of the former French province Languedoc.
Asteroids, Focus On, Inner main belt objects, Main belt objects, Sagittarius discovery

Focus On: (138) Tolosa

Name origin: Toulouse in France, where the asteroid was discovered. Schmadel says the city was celebrated for the cultivation of the sciences; it is home to one of the oldest universities in Europe (founded in 1229) and several prestigious higher education schools, most notably in aerospace engineering.

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Asteroids, Central main belt objects, Focus On, Liberatrix family, Main belt objects, Pisces discovery

Focus On: (125) Liberatrix

According to Schmadel, the naming “very probably is an allusion to the liberation of France at the time of the discovery.” The liberation here referred to is the Franco-Prussian war in 1870; this choice may have been intended to honour Adolphe Thiers, first president of the French Republic, who negotiated the removal of Prussian troops from France.

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Detail of Wounded Eurydice (1868-70), oil on canvas painting by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot.
Aries discovery, Asteroids, Central main belt objects, Focus On, Main belt objects

Focus On: (75) Eurydike

Name origin: Greek daughter of Apollo and wife of Orpheus. The main myth concerning Eurydike involves her death by snake bite, and Orpheus’ subsequent attempt to bring her back from the underworld, which failed at the last moment.

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