(8489) Boulder Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 7 October 1989 by E. W. Elst at La Silla.
Named for the city of Boulder, Colorado, about 48 km northwest of Denver. Settled in 1859 by miners and named for the large stones in the area, the University of Colorado was founded there in 1876, making Boulder a center for scientific and environmental research. The water supply for the city is unique, coming from the Arapahoe glacier high in the Rocky Mountains. The discoverer and his wife spent a year there at the JILA institution during 1967-1968.Naming citation (19990402/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Boulder is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Boulder is 2.77 au from the Sun and 3.62 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 8489 |
| Provisional designation | 1989 TA3 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 11.2 km (#4,458 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0810 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.45 |
| Orbital period | 5.57 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.14 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.76 – 3.52 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.121 |
| Inclination | 5.84° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.76 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 7 October 1989
- (8837) London
- (11870) Sverige
- (11871) Norge
- (12261) Ledouanier
- (13032) Tarn
- (13033) Gardon
- (17439) Juliesan
- (21029) Adorno