(8785) Boltwood Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 5 September 1978 by N. S. Chernykh at Nauchnyj.
Paul Boltwood (b. 1943) is a Canadian specialist in computer systems and outstanding amateur astronomer. He monitored the peculiar object OJ 287 for some two years. He also obtained deep-sky CCD images with limiting magnitude 24.5 using a home-built 0.4-m reflector.Naming citation (20001013/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Boltwood is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Boltwood is 2.05 au from the Sun and 1.06 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 8785 |
| Provisional designation | 1978 RR1 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 3.01 km (#15,205 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.373 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.53 |
| Orbital period | 3.42 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.27 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.87 – 2.67 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.175 |
| Inclination | 3.40° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.860 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Paul
- (3743) Pauljaniczek
- (4148) McCartney
- (4194) Sweitzer
- (5065) Johnstone
- (5553) Chodas
- (5997) Dirac
- (6226) Paulwarren
- (6384) Kervin
- (6629) Kurtz
- (6726) Suthers
- (6870) Pauldavies
- (7560) Spudis
All asteroids named after someone called Paul
Also discovered on 5 September 1978
- (2610) Tuva
- (2859) Paganini
- (2969) Mikula
- (3072) Vilnius
- (4883) Korolirina
- (5086) Demin
- (6576) Kievtech
- (6622) Matvienko
- (7453) Slovtsov
- (8322) Kononovich
- (12189) Dovgyj
- (52231) Sitnik