9965 GNU

9965 GNU

Orbit of 9965 GNU (blue), planets (red) and the Sun (black). The outermost planet visible is Jupiter.
Discovery and designation
Discovered by Spacewatch
Discovery date March 5, 1992
Designations
MPC designation 9965 GNU
Named after
GNU
1992 EF2, 1988 BD4, 1993 QR3
Orbital characteristics
Epoch October 27, 2007
Aphelion 2.8321038 AU
Perihelion 2.0035766 AU
2.4178402 AU
Eccentricity 0.1713362
1373.2190398 d
0.56312°
Inclination 12.1934°
156.63510°
82.74981°
Physical characteristics
Surface temp. min mean max
Kelvin
Celsius
C-type asteroid[1]
14.2

    9965 GNU is a C-type main belt asteroid. It orbits the Sun once every 3.76 years.[2]

    Discovered on March 5, 1992 by Spacewatch, it was given the provisional designation "1992 EF2". It was later renamed "GNU" after the GNU project.[3]

    See also

    Other free-software-related asteroid names:

    References

    1. Gianluca Masi, Sergio Foglia & Richard P. Binzel. "Search for Unusual Spectroscopic Candidates Among 40313 minor planets from the 3rd Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Moving Object Catalog".
    2. "9965 GNU (1992 EF2)". JPL Small-Body Database Browser.
    3. MPC 41571 Minor Planet Center