(37596) Cotahuasi Mars-crossing Asteroid
Discovered on 9 November 1991 by E. W. Elst at La Silla.
The Cotahuasi Canyon, near the Peruvian city of Arequipa, was formed by the Cotahuasi river. Running between the enormous mountain massifs of Coropuna (6425 m) and Sulimana (6093m), it is the deepest canyon (3354 m) in the world.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2014-05-14), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Cotahuasi is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Cotahuasi is 2.34 au from the Sun and 2.93 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 37596 |
| Provisional designation | 1991 VV6 |
| Orbit class | Mars-crossing Asteroid |
| Diameter | 2.15 km (#16,849 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.504 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.77 |
| Orbital period | 3.72 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.40 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.64 – 3.17 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.318 |
| Inclination | 21.5° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.729 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.