81 Terpsichore

Terpsichore (minor planet designation: 81 Terpsichore) is a large and very dark main-belt asteroid. It has most probably a very primitive carbonaceous composition. It was found by the prolific comet discoverer Ernst Tempel on September 30, 1864. It is named after Terpsichore, the Muse of dance in Greek mythology.

Photometric observations of the minor planet in 2011 gave a rotation period of $10.945 h$ with an amplitude of $0.09$ in magnitude. This result is consistent with previous determinations. Two stellar occultation events involving this asteroid were observed from multiple sites in 2009. The resulting chords matched a smooth elliptical cross-section with dimensions of $134 km$ × $108.9 km$.

In popular culture
A space station orbiting 81 Terpsichore is the main setting in the science fiction story The Dark Colony (Asteroid Police Book 1) by Richard Penn.