9617 Grahamchapman

9617 Grahamchapman (provisional designation: 1993 FA₅) is an asteroid in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It was discovered on 17 March 1993, at the European Southern Observatory during the Uppsala-ESO Survey of Asteroids and Comets (UESAC).

Grahamchapman is named after the comic actor Graham Chapman; it is the first in a series of six asteroids carrying the names of members of the Monty Python comedy troupe, the others being 9618 Johncleese, 9619 Terrygilliam, 9620 Ericidle, 9621 Michaelpalin and 9622 Terryjones.

In early 2006, observations by the Ondřejov NEO Photometric Program determined that Grahamchapman is orbited by a moon. The moon is about a quarter the size of Grahamchapman, and orbits it about once every 19 hours. The study also showed that Grahamchapman itself has a rotation period of about 2.3 hours, and probably has a nearly spheroidal shape.

External links

9617 Grahamchapman at the JPL Small-Body Database

Discovery · Orbit diagram · Orbital elements · Physical parameters

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(9616) 1993 FR3 9617 Grahamchapman 9618 Johncleese

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