106 Dione - Definition and Overview

**106 Dione**
Orbital characteristics ^{1 (ftp://ftp.lowell.edu/pub/elgb/astorb.html)}
Orbit type	Main belt
Semimajor axis	3.168 AU
Perihelion distance	2.615 AU
Aphelion distance	3.722 AU
Orbital period	5.64 years
Inclination	4.62°
Eccentricity	0.175
Physical characteristics ^{1 (ftp://ftp.lowell.edu/pub/elgb/astorb.html)}
Diameter	146.6 km
Rotation period	15 hours
Spectral class	G
Abs. magnitude	7.41
Albedo ^{4 (http://dorothy.as.arizona.edu/DSN/IRAS/index_iras.html)}	0.089
History ^{2 (http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/lists/NumberedMPs.html)}
Discoverer	J. C. Watson, 1868

106 Dione is a large main belt asteroid. It probably has a composition similar to 1 Ceres.

It was discovered by J. C. Watson on October 10, 1868 and named after Dione, a Titan in Greek mythology.

Dione occulted a dim star on January 19, 1983. A diameter of 147 km was observed, closely matching the value acquired by the IRAS satellite.

One of Saturn's satellites is also named Dione.

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