(9780) Bandersnatch Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 25 September 1994 by Shimizu, Y., Urata, T. at Nachi-Katsuura.
The ‘frumious Bandersnatch’ is a somewhat mysterious entity appearing in Lewis Carroll's classic poem “Jabberwocky”. The name was suggested by T. Urata, and the citation was prepared by D. J. Asher.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 3, #13, 8), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Bandersnatch is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Bandersnatch is 2.42 au from the Sun and 2.31 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 9780 |
| Provisional designation | 1994 SB |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 5.83 km (#9,171 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.299 |
| Rotation period | 7.06 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.45 |
| Orbital period | 3.26 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.20 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.98 – 2.42 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.102 |
| Inclination | 6.26° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.991 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.