1866 Sisyphus (sis'-ə-fəs) is an Apollo asteroid which, at approximately 10 km in diameter, is the largest of the Earth-crossing asteroids. It is comparable in size to the Chicxulub object whose impact killed off the dinosaurs.
Sisyphus was discovered in 1972 by Paul Wild, and named after the Sisyphus of Greek mythology.
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Sisyphus (Greek Σίσυφος; transliteration: Sísuphos; IPA: 'sɪsɪfəs), in Greek mythology, was the son of Aeolus and Enarete, husband of Merope, and King/Founder of Ephyra (Corinth). According to some (later) sources, he was the father of Odysseus by Anticlea, before she married her later husband, Laertes.
He was the father of the Corinthian king Glaucus by Merope. He was said to have founded the Isthmian games in honour of Melicertes, whose body he found lyin ...
As a punishment from the gods, in the underworld, Sisyphus was compelled to roll a big stone up a steep hill; but before it reached the top of the hill the stone always rolled down, and Sisyphus had to begin all over again (Odyssey, xi. 593). This cycle continued on for eternity. As a result, pointless or interminable activities are often described as Sisyphean. The reason for his punishment is not mentioned in Homer, and is obscure. According to some, he had revealed the designs of the gods to mortals; according to others, he ...
