(9488) Huia Main-belt Asteroid

Discovered on 24 September 1960 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.

Named for the bird, extinct since 1907, with splendid green and black plumage and a long white-tipped tail (Heteralocha acutirostris). The tail feathers of the huia were highly prized by the Maori people as symbols of rank. Carved boxes, waka huia, were made to keep them in.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 2, #9, 6), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL

Where Huia is today

Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Huia is 2.56 au from the Sun and 1.57 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.

Facts

Number	9488
Provisional designation	9523 P-L
Orbit class	Main-belt Asteroid
Diameter	3.56 km (#13,813 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size)
Albedo	0.243
Rotation period	105 hours
Absolute magnitude (H)	14.69
Orbital period	3.47 years
Semi-major axis	2.29 au
Perihelion – aphelion	2.02 – 2.56 au
Eccentricity	0.117
Inclination	6.32°
Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID)	1.02 au

Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.

Also discovered on 24 September 1960

More named asteroids discovered by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T.

All 958

← (9487) Kupe · (9489) Tanemahuta →