9951 Tyrannosaurus

9951 Tyrannosaurus
Orbit of Tyrannosaurus (blue), with the inner planets and Jupiter (outermost)
Discovery [1]
Discovered byE. W. Elst
Discovery siteLa Silla Obs.
Discovery date15 November 1990
Designations
(9951) Tyrannosaurus
Pronunciation/tɪˌrænəˈsɔːrəs/[2]
Named after
Tyrannosaurus
(theropod dinosaur)[3]
1990 VK5 · 1974 OG1
1992 EZ5
main-belt · (inner)
Vesta [4]
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc42.53 yr (15,534 days)
Aphelion2.7243 AU
Perihelion2.1283 AU
2.4263 AU
Eccentricity0.1228
3.78 yr (1,380 days)
155.31°
0° 15m 38.88s / day
Inclination7.4000°
133.42°
153.36°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions17 km[5]
S [6]
14.2[1]

9951 Tyrannosaurus, provisional designation 1990 VK5, is a stony Vestian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 17 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 15 November 1990, by Belgian astronomer Eric Elst at ESO's La Silla Observatory in northern Chile.[7] It was named after Tyrannosaurus, a genus of dinosaurs.[3]

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference jpldata was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Tyrannosaurus". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference springer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ferret was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference SIMPS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Masi was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference MPC-object was invoked but never defined (see the help page).