(8979) Clanga Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 16 October 1977 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.
Named for the bird Aquila clanga, or greater spotted eagle.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 2, #9, 6), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Clanga is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Clanga is 2.04 au from the Sun and 2.53 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 8979 |
| Provisional designation | 3476 T-3 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 2.63 km (#16,000 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.369 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.99 |
| Orbital period | 3.11 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.13 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.86 – 2.40 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.128 |
| Inclination | 1.42° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.851 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 16 October 1977
- (3798) de Jager
- (3936) Elst
- (4044) Erikhog
- (4108) Rakos
- (4722) Agelaos
- (4753) Phidias
- (4754) Panthoos
- (5610) Balster
- (5699) Munch
- (5700) Homerus
- (5984) Lysippus
- (6055) Brunelleschi