253 Mathilde

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/253-mathilde

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 253 Mathilde?November 12, 1885
2. What is the discoverer?Johann Palisa
3. What is the orbital period?Approximately 4.5 years
4. Why is Mathilde so dark?Its surface is made mostly of carbon, which reflects only about 4% of sunlight. That makes it look very dark from space.
5. How long does Mathilde take to orbit the Sun?It takes about 4.5 Earth years for Mathilde to travel once around the Sun.

Intermediate Asteroid Belt: A region within the main asteroid belt characterized by specific orbital parameters.
Carbonaceous Asteroid: An asteroid rich in carbon compounds, typically dark and primitive.
Albedo: The measure of how much light a surface reflects; a low albedo means a dark surface.
Protoplanetary Disk: The disk of gas and dust surrounding a young star from which planets form.