Aster › Space program › 216 Kleopatra
216 Kleopatra
Position on the route: 21/130 · level needed 64 · journey (Mk0 engine) 10.2 h
By the numbers
| Length | ≈ 270 km |
|---|---|
| Year | 4.67 years |
| Density | 3.4 g/cm³ |
| Moons | Alexhelios, Cleoselene |
The story
Kleopatra, found by Johann Palisa in 1880, is a ‘dog-bone’ shaped asteroid 270 km long, one of the belt’s strangest bodies. Its density is 3.4 g/cm³: largely iron–nickel, an M-type. It was imaged by radar in 2000 and by VLT SPHERE in 2021.
It spins very fast (5.4 hours): the spin may have stretched it, with pieces breaking away to form two small moons, Alexhelios and Cleoselene. In the game, the belt’s second-richest source of platinum-group metals.
Missions
- Arecibo and Goldstone radar (2000)
- VLT SPHERE images (2021)
Colony note
Metal ore; weak gravity, fast spin. A mining station.
What probes bring back
- A ‘dog-bone’ about 270 km long with a density of 3.4 g/cm³: largely metal. Imaged by radar (2000) and VLT SPHERE (2021).
- Its fast spin (5.4 hours) may have shaped it; it has two small moons, Alexhelios and Cleoselene.