(17936) Nilus Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 24 April 1999 by J. Broughton at Reedy Creek.
Nilus is the Graeco-Roman personified god of the river Nile. The annual ebb and flow of the Nile sparked the advent of agriculture and farming around 6500 years ago. This inexorably led to the development of an ancient Egyptian civilization that was a keystone for those that followed.Naming citation (20011230/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Nilus is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Nilus is 2.38 au from the Sun and 2.98 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 17936 |
| Provisional designation | 1999 HE3 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 2.83 km (#15,599 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.349 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.84 |
| Orbital period | 3.39 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.26 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.11 – 2.41 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0668 |
| Inclination | 3.17° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.12 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.