9951 Tyrannosaurus
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | E. W. Elst |
| Discovery site | La Silla Obs. |
| Discovery date | 15 November 1990 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | (9951) Tyrannosaurus |
|
Named after
|
Tyrannosaurus (theropod dinosaur) |
|
1990 VK5 · 1974 OG1 1992 EZ5 |
|
| main-belt · (inner) | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch 16 February 2017 (JD 2457800.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 42.30 yr (15,449 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.7243 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.1289 AU |
| 2.4266 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1227 |
| 3.78 yr (1,381 days) | |
| 103.15° | |
| 0° 15m 38.52s / day | |
| Inclination | 7.3997° |
| 133.43° | |
| 153.38° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 17 km |
| S | |
| 14.2 | |
9951 Tyrannosaurus, provisional designation 1990 VK5, is a stony asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 17 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on on 15 November 1990, by Belgian astronomer Eric Elst at ESO's La Silla Observatory in northern Chile. It was named after Tyrannosaurus, a genus of dinosaurs.
The asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.1–2.7 AU once every 3 years and 9 months (1,381 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.12 and an inclination of 7° with respect to the ecliptic. It was first identified as 1974 OG1 at El Leoncito in 1974, extending the body's observation arc by 16 years prior to its official discovery observation at La Silla.
According to the survey carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, Tyrannosaurus measures 17 kilometers in diameter. Spectroscopic observations indicate that it is a stony S-type asteroid, the most abundant spectral class of asteroids in the inner main-belt.
It has an absolute magnitude of 14.2. As of 2017, the asteroid's rotation period and shape remain unknown.
This minor planet was named for Tyrannosaurus, a large and heavy bipedal carnivorous dinosaur, that lived in the upper cretaceous. It was one of the most terrifying predators, with a large skull, massive jaws and sharp teeth. Adult individuals were 14 meters long and 5–8 meters high. Tyrannosaurus rex is the best known species of this genus. Naming citation was published on 20 November 2002 (M.P.C. 47166).
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