(8971) Leucocephala Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 29 September 1973 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.
Named for Oxyura leucocephala, or white-headed duck.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 2, #8, 7), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Leucocephala is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Leucocephala is 3.54 au from the Sun and 3.87 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 8971 |
| Provisional designation | 2256 T-2 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 11.3 km (#4,416 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0660 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.57 |
| Orbital period | 5.49 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.11 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.68 – 3.54 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.137 |
| Inclination | 0.767° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.70 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 29 September 1973
- (2049) Grietje
- (4357) Korinthos
- (4549) Burkhardt
- (4721) Atahualpa
- (4752) Myron
- (4876) Strabo
- (4978) Seitz
- (5151) Weerstra
- (5197) Rottmann
- (5243) Clasien
- (5244) Amphilochos
- (5266) Rauch