9965 GNU

9965 GNU

Orbit of 9965 GNU (blue), planets (red) and the Sun (black). The outermost planet visible is Jupiter.
Discovery
Discovered by	Spacewatch
Discovery date	5 March 1992
Designations
MPC designation	9965 GNU
Named after	GNU
Alternative names	1992 EF2, 1988 BD4, 1993 QR3
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	10088 days (27.62 yr)
Aphelion	2.8279933 AU (423.06178 Gm)
Perihelion	2.0095969 AU (300.63142 Gm)
Semi-major axis	2.4187951 AU (361.84660 Gm)
Eccentricity	0.1691744
Orbital period	3.76 yr (1374.0 d)
Mean anomaly	66.87114°
Mean motion	0° 15^m 43.209^s / day
Inclination	12.20639°
Longitude of ascending node	156.49031°
Argument of perihelion	82.846985°
Earth MOID	1.04111 AU (155.748 Gm)
Jupiter MOID	2.27013 AU (339.607 Gm)
Jupiter Tisserand parameter	3.465
Physical characteristics
Rotation period	39.7449 h (1.65604 d)
Surface temp. min mean max Kelvin Celsius
Spectral type	C-type asteroid[2]
Absolute magnitude (H)	14.4

9965 GNU is a C-type main belt asteroid. It orbits the Sun once every 3.76 years.^[1]

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 include:

• 9885 Linux
• 9882 Stallman
• 9793 Torvalds

References

1. "9965 GNU (1992 EF2)". JPL Small-Body Database. NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
2. 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".
3. MPC 41571 Minor Planet Center

External links

• 9965 GNU at the JPL Small-Body Database

• Discovery · Orbit diagram · Orbital elements · Physical parameters