What telescope do I need to see Massalia?

At magnitude 9.2, Massalia is within reach of a 3-inch (80 mm) telescope from a moderate-Bortle site.

Massalia — Asteroide in Virgo

20 Massalia

Asteroid Virgo Visibile

Rendered preview of Massalia from the Nightbase orrery, lit from the current Sun direction with the terminator visible.

Mappa stellare Sistema Solare 3D + Lista + Piano

Proprietà

Magnitudine 9.2

Descrizione

Type: Asteroid

Distance: 2.408 AU

Orbital Period: 1365.2 days

Diameter: 136 km

Named after the city of Marseille (Massalia in antiquity); S-type; one of the brightest minor planets at opposition (typical mag 9.2).

Posizione e identificatori

RA 11h 37m 33.3s

Dec +02° 08' 08.7"

Costellazione Virgo

Catalogo Massalia

Wikipedia

Proprietà fisiche

Diametro 136 km

Massa 3.3e18 kg

Albedo 0.24 (24% reflected)

Rotazione 8.1 hours

Dimensione angolare 0.1″ (current)

Proprietà orbitali

Semiasse maggiore 2.4084 AU (360.3 million km)

Eccentricità 0.1438

Inclinazione 0.71°

Periodo orbitale 3.74 years

Distanza 1.536 AU (12.8 light-min)

Elongazione 134.0° Good

Brightness Forecast (next 12 months)

Apparent magnitude as Earth–asteroid distance changes through the year. The peak marks the brightest moment in the window — usually around opposition, when the asteroid is closest and fully illuminated.

Computed from JPL orbital elements via m = H + 5·log₁₀(r·Δ). Phase-function correction is omitted, so curves trace distance variation only — accurate within a few tenths for main-belt asteroids; coarse for fast-moving NEOs near Earth.