Although Ida's dimensions, measured along the principal axes (based on its rotation) are 53.6×24.0×15.2 km, the best-fit ellipsoid measures 60.0×25.2×18.6 km. Since its mass is well known thanks to its little moon, one can calculate that its surface gravity can be between 0.0031 and 0.0324 m/s². The rotation axis is within one degree of the shorter dimension axis, which means the centrifugal effect can reach a value as high as 0.0042 m/s² — at the tips of its longest axes, Ida is actually under tension.