(8340) Mumma Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 15 October 1985 by E. Bowell at Anderson Mesa.
A researcher at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Michael J. Mumma (b. 1941) has identified H2O, CH3OH, CH4, C2H2 and C2H6 in the infrared spectra of comets, and his work on comets as x-ray objects has helped provide a new probe for the solar wind.Naming citation (19990928/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Mumma is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Mumma is 2.98 au from the Sun and 2.00 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 8340 |
| Provisional designation | 1985 TS1 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 20.2 km (#2,181 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0720 |
| Rotation period | 3.19 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 12.25 |
| Orbital period | 5.12 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.97 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.93 – 3.01 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0128 |
| Inclination | 8.28° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.91 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Goddard
All asteroids named after someone called Goddard
Also discovered on 15 October 1985
- (3564) Talthybius
- (3595) Gallagher
- (3639) Weidenschilling
- (4057) Demophon
- (4281) Pounds
- (4445) Jimstratton
- (4446) Carolyn
- (4665) Muinonen
- (4696) Arpigny
- (4739) Tomahrens
- (5463) Danwelcher
- (5554) Keesey