(243440) Colonia Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 17 March 2009 by Karge, S., Schwab, E. at Taunus.
Colonia (Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium) is the Roman name for Köln, Germany's fourth-largest city, founded in the year 38 BC by the Romans. It was the birthplace of Agrippina, sister of Caligula and mother of Nero. Köln's gothic cathedral is one of the world's largest churches and a world heritage site.Naming citation (20110517/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Colonia is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Colonia is 3.35 au from the Sun and 3.34 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 243440 |
| Provisional designation | 2009 FD2 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 2.36 km (#16,501 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0660 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 16.84 |
| Orbital period | 4.70 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.81 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.22 – 3.39 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.208 |
| Inclination | 3.42° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.21 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Ara
All asteroids named after someone called Ara