10 Hygiea ("hy GEE ea") is the fourth largest Main beltasteroid with a diameter of 407 km. The dark-coloured surface makes the asteroid dimmer than the size would imply.
Hygiea is composed of primitive carbonaceous material similar to the chondritemeteorites. It is the main member of the Hygiea family.
It is named after Hygieia, the greek goddess of health, daughter of Asclepius (Aesculapius for the Romans). De Gasparis let his friend Ernesto Capocci name the asteroid to thank him for his encouragement.
