(7728) Giblin Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 12 January 1977 by E. Bowell at Palomar.
Named in honor of Ian Giblin (b. 1969), a British physicist who has performed a number of laboratory experiments to simulate hypervelocity impacts among minor planets. Giblin has developed new data analysis tools to study their outcome and to draw conclusions regarding the corresponding actual events. Name proposed and citation written by P. Farinella.Naming citation (19990728/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Giblin is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Giblin is 2.52 au from the Sun and 2.14 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 7728 |
| Provisional designation | 1977 AW2 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 6.50 km (#8,258 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.419 |
| Rotation period | 11.8 hours |
| Spectral type | Sq |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 12.81 |
| Orbital period | 4.67 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.80 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.49 – 3.10 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.109 |
| Inclination | 3.40° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.48 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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