(8538) Gammelmaja Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 21 March 1993 by C.-I. Lagerkvist at La Silla.
Named for Gammelmaja, an old and wise cat who seldom fails to notice when Pelle is being treated unfairly and often takes his side in arguments. She lives in the belfry of the Uppsala cathedral.Naming citation (19990202/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Gammelmaja is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Gammelmaja is 2.82 au from the Sun and 1.98 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 8538 |
| Provisional designation | 1993 FR26 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 11.8 km (#4,163 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.156 |
| Rotation period | 3.09 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 12.48 |
| Orbital period | 5.23 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.01 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.75 – 3.28 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0884 |
| Inclination | 9.36° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.74 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 21 March 1993
- (5630) Billschaefer
- (6102) Visby
- (6528) Boden
- (6796) Sundsvall
- (6797) Ostersund
- (7595) Vaxjo
- (7831) Francois-Xavier
- (8535) Pellesvanslos
- (8536) Mans
- (8537) Billochbull
- (8697) Olofsson
- (9621) Michaelpalin