#astraea

• Astraea — The virgin goddess of innocence, purity, and justice in Greek mythology, daughter of Astraeus and Eos, considered the last immortal to leave Earth at the end of the Iron Age to seek refuge in the sky, where she became the constellation Virgo. In astronomy, it denotes 5 Astraea, a large main-belt asteroid discovered in 1845 by Karl Ludwig Hencke, and in zoology, it represents a genus of medium to large sea snails in the family Turbinidae.
• Astrea — An accepted spelling and literary variant of 'Astraea' or a rare common noun used in old poetry to mean a star or luminous celestial body; in Greek mythology, it represents the name of the virgin goddess of justice and innocence who retreated to the heavens, forming the constellation Virgo. In astronomy, it points to the large main-belt asteroid discovered in the mid-19th century.