2 Pallas

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/2-pallas

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Who discovered 2 Pallas?Discovered on March 28, 1802, by Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers
2. How heavy is 2 Pallas?Approximately 7% of the total mass
3. What is the scientific classification?Asteroid (protoplanet)
4. What is the orbital parameters?Inclination: 34.8 degrees; Eccentricity: comparable to Pluto
5. How old is 2 Pallas?It formed about 4.5 billion years ago, making it older than Earth.
6. Why does 2 Pallas have a tilted orbit?Its orbit is tilted 34.8 degrees relative to the flat plane of most asteroids, which makes it harder for spacecraft to reach.

Protoplanetary Disk: A rotating disk of dense gas and dust surrounding a newly formed star, from which planets eventually form.
Accretion: The process by which dust grains and ice crystals in a protoplanetary disk stick together to form larger bodies.
Orbital Inclination: The angle between an object's orbital plane and a reference plane, typically the ecliptic.