(20234) Billgibson Main-belt Asteroid

Discovered on 6 January 1998 by M. W. Buie at Anderson Mesa.

William C. Gibson (b. 1945) is the payload manager of the New Horizons Pluto Kuiper Belt mission. Additionally, he has been responsible for the development of numerous instruments that have studied the earth's magnetosphere, the planets and comets.Naming citation (20040713/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL

Where Billgibson is today

MercuryVenusEarthEarthMarsMarsBillgibsonBillgibson

Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Billgibson is 2.04 au from the Sun and 2.98 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.

Facts

Number20234
Provisional designation1998 AV9
Orbit classMain-belt Asteroid
Diameter2.61 km (#16,036 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size)
Albedo0.196
Absolute magnitude (H)14.99
Orbital period3.20 years
Semi-major axis2.17 au
Perihelion – aphelion2.03 – 2.32 au
Eccentricity0.0655
Inclination0.507°
Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID)1.04 au

Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.

Also named after someone called William

Also discovered on 6 January 1998

More named asteroids discovered by M. W. Buie