Asteroid 279, discovered in 1888 by the Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa (1848–1925). Thule is a D-type asteroid of diameter 127 km. With its semimajor axis of 4.32 au, near the 3 : 4 commensurability of period with Jupiter, it is regarded as marking the outer edge of the main asteroid belt. Its orbital period is 8.97 years, perihelion 4.18 au, aphelion 4.46 au, and inclination 2°.3.