(9688) Goudsmit Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 24 September 1960 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.
Together with G. E. Uhlenbeck, Dutch-American physicist Samuel A. Goudsmit (1902-1978) formulated the concept of electron spin. This led to major changes in atomic theory and quantum mechanics. The name was suggested by W. A. Fröger.Naming citation (20010705/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Goudsmit is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Goudsmit is 2.70 au from the Sun and 3.53 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 9688 |
| Provisional designation | 4665 P-L |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Rotation period | 6.46 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.87 |
| Orbital period | 3.80 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.43 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.11 – 2.75 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.131 |
| Inclination | 4.33° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.11 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 24 September 1960
- (1743) Schmidt
- (1744) Harriet
- (1776) Kuiper
- (1777) Gehrels
- (1795) Woltjer
- (1808) Bellerophon
- (1809) Prometheus
- (1810) Epimetheus
- (1811) Bruwer
- (1812) Gilgamesh
- (1846) Bengt
- (1868) Thersites