(8279) Cuzco Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 6 August 1991 by E. W. Elst at La Silla.
Cuzco was the capital of the Inca empire. In Nov. 1533 the city was occupied by Pizarro. Severely damaged by an earthquake in 1650, Cuzco suffered again from an earthquake in May 1950, causing almost complete destruction of all churches and buildings from the colonial era.Naming citation (20021120/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Cuzco is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Cuzco is 2.75 au from the Sun and 2.89 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 8279 |
| Provisional designation | 1991 PN7 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 5.52 km (#9,688 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.278 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.58 |
| Orbital period | 4.76 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.83 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.74 – 2.92 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0330 |
| Inclination | 2.80° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.75 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 6 August 1991
- (5447) Lallement
- (6404) Vanavara
- (7062) Meslier
- (8672) Morse
- (8857) Cercidiphyllum
- (8858) Cornus
- (9342) Carygrant
- (9860) Archaeopteryx
- (10781) Ritter
- (12298) Brecht
- (13064) Haemhouts
- (15278) Paquet