(8627) Kunalnayyar Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 2 March 1981 by S. J. Bus at Siding Spring.
British-born Indian actor Kunal Nayyar (b. 1981) portrays the fictional Caltech astrophysicist Dr. Rajesh Koothrappali in the television sitcom The Big Bang Theory.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 3, #12, 12), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Kunalnayyar is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Kunalnayyar is 2.85 au from the Sun and 3.51 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 8627 |
| Provisional designation | 1981 EU20 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.67 |
| Orbital period | 4.19 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.60 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.34 – 2.86 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.101 |
| Inclination | 1.04° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.32 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Kunal
All asteroids named after someone called Kunal
Also discovered on 2 March 1981
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- (3000) Leonardo
- (3121) Tamines
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- (3252) Johnny
- (3304) Pearce
- (3524) Schulz