(4008) Corbin Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 22 January 1977 by Felix Aguilar Observatory at El Leoncito.
Named in honor of Thomas E. Corbin, head of the Meridian Circle Division at the U.S. Naval Observatory, and his wife, Brenda Groves Corbin, since 1973 the Observatory's librarian. Serving early in his career as astronomer-in-charge of the Observatory's southern station in Argentina, Tom Corbin has since been responsible for several important astrometric programs, including the Astrographic Catalogue Reference Stars catalogue. Brenda Corbin is one of the most renowned astronomical librarians in the world, known for her work in the Special Libraries Association, the IAU Commission 5 Working Group on Nomenclature and for her enthusiasm in tracking down copies of rare works.Naming citation (19980211/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
👶 Corbin as a baby name🐶 Corbin as a dog name
Where Corbin is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Corbin is 2.59 au from the Sun and 1.67 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 4008 |
| Provisional designation | 1977 BY |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 5.42 km (#9,837 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.264 |
| Rotation period | 6.20 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.24 |
| Orbital period | 3.63 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.36 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.87 – 2.85 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.208 |
| Inclination | 25.5° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.908 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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All asteroids named after someone called Thomas