Global Information2060 Chiron information
 Hubble Space Telescope image of Chiron and its coma, taken in 1996 | |
| Discovery[1][2][3] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Charles Kowal |
| Discovery site | Palomar Observatory |
| Discovery date | 1 November 1977 |
| Designations | |
MPC designation |
|
| Pronunciation | /ˈkaɪrɒn/ |
Named after | Chiron (Greek mythology)[5] |
Alternative designations | 1977 UB |
Minor planet category |
|
| Adjectives |
|
| Symbol |  (astrological) |
| Orbital characteristics[6] | |
| Epoch 2021-Jul-01 (JD 2459396.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 126.29 yr |
| Earliest precovery date | 24 April 1895[1] (Harvard Observatory) |
| Aphelion | 18.87 AU (2.8 billion km) (occurred May 2021)[8] |
| Perihelion | 8.533 AU (1.3 billion km) |
Semi-major axis | 13.70 AU (2.0 billion km) |
| Eccentricity | 0.3772 |
Orbital period (sidereal) | 50.71 yr (18,523 days) |
Average orbital speed | 7.75 km/s |
Mean anomaly | 180.70° |
Mean motion | 0° 1m 10.2s / day |
| Inclination | 6.9299° |
Longitude of ascending node | 209.27° |
Time of perihelion |
|
Argument of perihelion | 339.71° |
| Jupiter MOID | 3.1 AU (460 million km) |
| Saturn MOID | 0.48 AU (72 million km)[1] |
| Uranus MOID | 1.4 AU (210 million km)[1] |
| TJupiter | 3.363 |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean radius |
|
Synodic rotation period | 5.918 h[13][14][15][16][17] |
Geometric albedo |
|
Spectral type |
|
Apparent magnitude | 18.93[20] 14.9 (Perihelic opposition)[21] |
Absolute magnitude (H) |
|
Angular diameter | 0.035" (max)[26] |
2060 Chiron is a small Solar System body in the outer Solar System, orbiting the Sun between Saturn and Uranus. Discovered in 1977 by Charles Kowal, it was the first-identified member of a new class of objects now known as centaurs—bodies orbiting between the asteroid belt and the Kuiper belt.[a] Chiron is named after the centaur Chiron in Greek mythology.
Although it was initially called an asteroid and classified only as a minor planet with the designation "2060 Chiron", in 1989 it was found to exhibit behavior typical of a comet. Today it is classified as both a minor planet and a comet, and is accordingly also known by the cometary designation 95P/Chiron. More recently, a series of occultation events through the 2010s and early 2020s revealed that Chiron hosts rings, making it one of four minor planets and the only known comet to host a ring system.
- ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference
MPC-Chironwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Kowal-1978was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
gsfc-Chironwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
dualstatuswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
springerwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c d e f Cite error: The named reference
jpldatawas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Centaurswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Horizons2021was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Horizons2046was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Horizons1895was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
Fornasier-2013was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Stansberry-2007was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference
lcdbwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Bus-1989was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Luu-1990bwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Marcialis-1993was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
Lazzaro-1997was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
Brown-dplistwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Belskaya-2015was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
AstDyswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
apmag1996was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Veres-2015was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Belskaya-2010bwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Peixinho-2012was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Davies-1998bwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
arcsecwas invoked but never defined (see the help page).
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).