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The first large asteriod, Ceres, was discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi.

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Elza Olson

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2y ago
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11y ago

i think it was an Italian astronomer named Giuseppe Piazzi who discovered the first asteroid because i have a project on space and i have a science book in front of me right now so ya. hope this is the right answer for you.

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14y ago

The first asteroid discovered was 1 Ceres, or Ceres for short. It was classified as a planet for a long time and is considered a dwarf planet today. It was discovered on January 1, 1801, by Giuseppe Piazza. Ceres has a diameter of 950 km and contains 32% of all of the mass in the main asteroid belt. With such massive dimensions it is easy to see why it was mistaken for a planet in the beginning.

As the first asteroid discovered it has garnered quite a bit of scientific study. It is approximately the size of Texas or 975×909 km with a mass of 9.5×10 20kg. It has enough mass for self gravity which is a major requirement to be considered a dwarf planet. It revolves around the sun every 1679.819 days with a very small axial tilt. The asteroid's surface can get as warm as -38°C(235 K). The surface of Ceres is thought to be made up of a mixture of water ice and various watery minerals like carbonates and clay. The asteroid also seems to be differentiated into a rocky core and an icy mantle. It has a brightness magnitude of +6.9 to +9. It can nearly be seen by the unaided eye. When at its brightest, it can be seen with binoculars from nearly anywhere in the world.

Ceres, the first asteroid discovered, follows an orbit of the Sun that takes 4.6 Earth years and is moderately inclined at 10.6° and somewhat eccentric at 0.08. Ceres rotates on its axis every 9 hours and 4 minutes. The asteroid was once thought to be a member of the asteroid family Gefion, but it has been discovered to simply be an interloper with a similar orbit.

The Dawn space mission is scheduled to visit the first asteroid discovered in 2015, shortly after visiting the asteroid Vesta. If this mission is successful it will make space history as the first mission to visit two solar bodies. Scientists are hoping to find evidence that may reclassify Ceres as a ninth planet, replacing Pluto or at least enough evidence to classify Vesta as a dwarf planet.

As the first asteroid discovered, Ceres has been the subject of much discussion and study. Quite a bit is known about the dwarf planet, but there are many things still unknown. The fact that it has massive amounts of water make it a prime target for the study of possible extra-terrestrial life. Maybe the Dawn space mission will relay images that will encourage that study in the future.

NASA has published a short article about Ceres and Wikipedia has a very in depth article on the topic. Here on Universe Today there are several very good articles about the first asteroid discovered as well as a great episode on Astronomy Cast.

so there you go

this is from this website http://www.universetoday.com/guidetospace/asteroids/the-first-asteroid-discovered/

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6y ago

Giuseppe Piazzi discovered Ceres in 1801. It is the largest asteroid.
the Italian astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi

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14y ago

Ceres, the first asteroid was discovered on January 1st 1801 by Giuseppe Piazzi.

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13y ago

Giuseppe Piazzi discovered the largest asteroid, Ceres, in 1801.

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14y ago

H.W Olbers discovered the second asteroid named Pallas.

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12y ago

Ceres Lanq Tenchu ..! :)) CYRENE

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10y ago

ilioe

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Q: Who discovered the first and largest asteroid?
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Related questions

Who discovered the biggest and first asteroid?

Giuseppe Piazzi discovered Ceres, the first and largest asteroid.


What is the first of the asteroids to be discovered in 1801 it is one of the largest and lies between Mars and Jupiter?

Ceres (now a dwarf planet) was discovered first (in 1801), with Pallas (still an asteroid) discovered next in 1802.


Who discovered the first and last asteroid?

Giuseppe Piazzi discovered the first asteroid in 1801. The most recent asteroid discovery was made by the Catalina Sky Survey on January 1, 2014.


Who is Giuseppe Piazza?

Discovered the largest asteroid, and measured positions of many stars.


What is the first and largest asteroid?

Ceres.


Who discovered the first large asteroid?

The first large asteriod, Ceres, was discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi.


What did Giusseppe Piazzi discover in Italy in 1801?

He discovered Ceres, the largest member of the asteroid belt


Is the asteroid Ceres the largest asteroid?

That's right; Ceres is the largest asteroid.


Who first discovered aestroids?

the first asteroid later named Ceres was discovered on January 1, 1801, by Giuseppe Piazzi


Is Ceres a moon?

No, Ceres is not a moon. It is the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and is classified as a dwarf planet. Moons are natural satellites that orbit planets, while Ceres is a dwarf planet that orbits the Sun directly.


What is one fact about Ceres?

It is the largest asteroid. It is the only dwarf planet in the inner Solar System. It is 950 km (590 mi) in diameter It comprises about a third of the mass of the asteroid belt. It was discovered on New Year's day 1801. It was the first asteroid to be identified It was classified as a planet at the time of discovery.


Does Ceres have the same name for a roman goddess as the largest asteroid that was discovered by guiseppe piazzi?

Yes. They are the same object.