(8077) Hoyle Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 12 January 1986 by E. Bowell at Anderson Mesa.
Fred Hoyle (b. 1915) is the leading proponent of steady-state cosmology. He predicted an excited state in the carbon atom and contributed extensively to the study of nucleosynthesis in stars. Hoyle served as president of the Royal Astronomical Society from 1971 to 1973. The name was suggested by S. Mitton.Naming citation (20000726/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Hoyle is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Hoyle is 3.18 au from the Sun and 2.49 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 8077 |
| Provisional designation | 1986 AW2 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Rotation period | 2.75 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 12.93 |
| Orbital period | 4.27 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.63 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.07 – 3.19 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.213 |
| Inclination | 17.2° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.10 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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