(8610) Goldhaber Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 22 October 1977 by Harvard Observatory at Harvard.
Brothers Maurice (b. 1911) and Gerson (b. 1924) Goldhaber contributed to 20th-century physics with discoveries that include charmed mesons and photodisintegration of the deuteron. They are still active members of the SuperKamiokande Collaboration and Supernova Cosmology Project. Name suggested by C. Pennypacker.Naming citation (20000320/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Goldhaber is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Goldhaber is 2.26 au from the Sun and 1.31 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 8610 |
| Provisional designation | 1977 UD |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Rotation period | 6.09 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.82 |
| Orbital period | 3.78 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.43 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.02 – 2.83 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.168 |
| Inclination | 3.99° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.03 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.