| Asteroid Number | 5 | | Asteroid Group | Main Asteroid Belt | | Asteroid Family | Not applicable | | Composition Class | S-type (silicaceous / stony) | | Orbital Period | 4 years, 47 days | | Distance from the Sun | Semi-Major Axis: 385,595,000 km (2.58 AU)
Perihelion: 312,728,000 km (2.09 AU)
Aphelion: 458,466,000 km (3.06 AU) | | Eccentricity | 0.1890 | | Diameter (Mean) | 119 km | | Notes | Astraea was discovered in 1845, nearly forty years after the previous asteroid discovery, Vesta. Astraea is a much fainter body than Vesta (about thirty times fainter on average), and its identification marked a resurgence in investigation of the bodies of the Asteroid Belt. |
An asteroid with an orbit that carries it around the inner edge of the the Asteroid Belt, Astraea is named for the same Greek goddess as the constellation of Virgo.
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