9 Metis
Main belt asteroids. It is composed of silicates and metallic nickel-iron.
Metis was discovered by A. Graham on April 25, 1848; his only asteroid discovery. It is also the only asteroid to have been discovered from Ireland. Its name comes from the mythological Metis, a Titaness, daughter of Tethys and Oceanus (and thus an Oceanid), who was the first wife of Zeus and the mother of Athena. Zeus devoured her lest she bear a child more powerful than he.
Light curve data on Metis led to an assumption that it could have a satellite. However, subsequent observations failed to confirm this. Metis was later observed with the Hubble Space Telescope in 1993, which was able to resolve the irregular shape of the asteroid, but no satellites were detected.
Metis has been observed occulting a star no less than 5 times.
Metis is also the name of a satellite of Jupiter.
