(9517) Niehaisheng Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 3 November 1977 by Purple Mountain Observatory at Nanking.
Nie Haisheng (b. 1964) is a space hero of China. In the Shenzhou spaceship, he and Fei Junlong made a series of scientific experiments in space for five days. They landed smoothly on 2005 Oct. 17 on the grasslands in Nei Monggol, Inner Mongolia.Naming citation (20051215/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Niehaisheng is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Niehaisheng is 3.08 au from the Sun and 3.99 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 9517 |
| Provisional designation | 1977 VL1 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 7.24 km (#7,386 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0770 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.29 |
| Orbital period | 4.21 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.61 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.01 – 3.21 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.230 |
| Inclination | 5.80° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.01 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.