Asteroid 14 Irene will reach opposition (the point at which it is directly opposite the Sun when observed from the Earth) at 2.22 pm GMT on Sunday 24 January 2021, when it will also be at the closest point on its orbit to the Earth, 1.33 AU (i.e. 1.33 times as far from the Earth as the Sun, or about 199 264 000 km), and be completely illuminated by the Sun. While it is not obvious to the naked eye observer, asteroids have phases just like those of the Moon; being further from the Sun than the Earth, 14 Irene is 'full' when directly opposite the Sun. As 14 Irene is only about 152 km in diameter, it will not be visible to the naked eye, but with a maximum Apparent Magnitude (luminosity) of 9.3 at opposition, it should be visible in the Constellation of Cancer to viewers equipped with a good pair of binoculars or small telescope.
14 Irene was discovered by English astronomer John Russell Hind on 19 May 1851. The number 14 implies that it was the fifteenth asteroid discovered, and it was named Irene after the Greek goddess of the same name, who was goddess of peace. It is also sometimes referred to as 1851 KA, implying the first asteroid (asteroid A) discovered in the second half of May 1851 (period 1851 K).
14 Irene has
an 1519 day (4.26 year) orbital period and an eccentric orbit
tilted at an angle of 9.12° to the plane of the Solar System, which
takes it from 2.16 AU from the Sun (i.e. 216% of the average
distance at
which the Earth orbits the Sun) to 3.02 AU from the Sun (i.e. 302% of
the
average distance at which the Earth orbits the Sun). As such it is
considered to be a Main Belt Asteroid (an asteroid that is between
2.06 and 3.27 AU from the Sun and has an orbital eccentricity of less
than 0.33 and an inclination of less than 20°).
See also...
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