| Minorplanet: | yes |
| Background: |
|
| 80 Sappho | |
| Symbol: | (astrological) |
| Discoverer: | N. R. Pogson |
| Discovery Site: | Madras Obs. |
| Discovered: | 2 May 1864 |
| Mpc Name: | (80) Sappho |
| Adjective: | Sapphonian [1] Sapphoian [2] |
| Mp Category: | main-belt |
| Uncertainty: | 0 |
| Epoch: | 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) |
| Aphelion: | 2.7544abbr=onNaNabbr=on |
| Perihelion: | 1.837AU |
| Semimajor: | 2.2957AU |
| Eccentricity: | 0.19980 |
| Period: | 3.48 yr (1270.5 d) |
| Inclination: | 8.676° |
| Mean Anomaly: | 287.260° |
| Mean Motion: | / day |
| Asc Node: | 218.699° |
| Arg Peri: | 139.662° |
| Moid: | 0.843652AU |
| Jupiter Moid: | 2.7319AU |
| Tisserand: | 3.553 |
| Pole Ecliptic Lat: | 194° |
| Pole Ecliptic Lon: | −26° |
| Mass: | (4.6 ± 2.11/0.86) kg |
| Density: | 3.055 ± 1.400/0.569 g/cm3 |
| Rotation: | 14.03087 h |
| Albedo: | 0.185 [3] |
| Spectral Type: | S-type asteroid |
| Abs Magnitude: | 7.98 |
| Magnitude: | 9.38 to 13.6 |
80 Sappho is a large, S-type (stony) main-belt asteroid. It was discovered by English astronomer Norman Pogson on 2 May 1864, and is named after Sappho, the Archaic Greece poet. The asteroid is orbiting the Sun at a distance of with a period of 3.48 years and an eccentricity (ovalness) of 0.2. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 8.68° to the plane of the ecliptic.
13-cm radar observations of this asteroid from the Arecibo Observatory between 1980 and 1985 were used to produce a diameter estimate of 83km (52miles). Hanuš et al. (2013) confirmed the polar axis has ecliptic coordinates = and listed a rotation period of 14.03087 h.
Sappho (at apparent magnitude 11.8) occulted the magnitude 7.2 star HIP 24403 in the constellation of Taurus on 16 September 2018 at 8:54 UT.[4] Sacramento and Salt Lake City were the two major cities located underneath the shadow path. Data from this event will help improve the shape model of the asteroid. During the occultation the asteroid was roughly from Earth with an uncertainty of ±76 km.