7 Iris

Also known as (7) Iris, Iris

large main-belt asteroid

AI overview

"7 Iris" is a large asteroid located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It matters to astronomers and scientists because studying such large main-belt asteroids helps us understand the composition and history of our solar system.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Picture of the Day · NASA

Pathfinder on Mars

2026-07-04

On July 4th, 1997, using its own array of fireworks, a parachute, and a cocoon of airbags, the Mars Pathfinder spacecraft bounced like a giant beach ball at least 15 times before it came to rest on the surface of Mars at 10:07 AM Pacific Daylight Time. After its then novel airbag-assisted landing sequence was completed, Pathfinder transmitted this color mosaic to mission operators on Earth. In the scene from another world, the Mars Sojourner robot rover is visible in the foreground, crouched on top of the unfolded Pathfinder. About the size of a large house cat, the six-wheeled, solar-powered Sojourner became the first successful Martian rover. Surrounding Pathfinder are deflated airbags and the rock-strewn terrain of the Ares Vallis floodplain. In the distance Martian hills appear against a dusty brownish sky. The Pathfinder lander was subsequently renamed the Carl Sagan Memorial Station.

via NASA APOD

Wikidata facts

Diameter: 199.83
Mass: 17900000000000000000
Orbital period: 1346.63063987869
Image: Iris asteroid eso.jpg

Show 17 more facts

Commons category: 7 Iris
time of discovery or invention: 1847-08-13
orbital inclination: 5.518812907722005
density: 3.18
rotation period: 7.139
albedo: 0.2766
surface gravity: 0.12
provisional designation: A847 PA
absolute magnitude: 5.67
orbital eccentricity: 0.2302133123218598
semi-major axis of an orbit: 2.386528966120767
periapsis: 1.837118227878042
apoapsis: 2.935939704363492
longitude of ascending node: 259.4946100599047
argument of periapsis: 145.4820251256263
mean anomaly: 61.72501808502953
time of periapsis: 2460769.608887221

Sources (6)

via Wikidata · CC0

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Article

7 Iris is a large main-belt asteroid and possible remnant planetesimal orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. It is the fourth-brightest object in the asteroid belt. 7 Iris is classified as an S-type asteroid, meaning that it has a stony composition.

Discovery and name