(18243) Gunn Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 29 September 1973 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.
James Edward Gunn (b. 1938), professor at Princeton University, is well known for his contributions to theoretical astrophysics, cosmology and instrumentation development, in particular for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.Naming citation (20040107/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Gunn is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Gunn is 2.39 au from the Sun and 2.32 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 18243 |
| Provisional designation | 2272 T-2 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.86 km (#10,898 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.431 |
| Rotation period | 6.64 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.54 |
| Orbital period | 3.36 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.24 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.03 – 2.45 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0929 |
| Inclination | 6.87° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.04 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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