(9479) Madresplazamayo Main-belt Asteroid

Discovered on 26 September 1960 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.

Named in honor of the group of women who became a symbol of human rights activism and courage by denouncing the crimes and atrocities committed by the military junta that ruled Argentina during 1976–1983. Dressed in black, they demonstrated for years every Thursday afternoon in the famous Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, demanding to know the fates of their disappeared sons and daughters. During the course of their movement, many Mothers became themselves victims of the military regime. The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo stand out as a shining example to the world that courage and dignity can still blossom in the hearts of many people, even under the most oppressive regimes.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 4, #11, 5), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL

Where Madresplazamayo is today

Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Madresplazamayo is 2.55 au from the Sun and 3.55 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.

Facts

Number	9479
Provisional designation	2175 P-L
Orbit class	Main-belt Asteroid
Diameter	2.69 km (#15,886 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size)
Albedo	0.223
Absolute magnitude (H)	15.25
Orbital period	4.24 years
Semi-major axis	2.62 au
Perihelion – aphelion	2.38 – 2.86 au
Eccentricity	0.0918
Inclination	4.54°
Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID)	1.37 au

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

Also discovered on 26 September 1960

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

All 958

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