(8959) Oenanthe Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 24 September 1960 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.
Named for Oenanthe oenanthe, or wheatear.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 2, #8, 7), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Oenanthe is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Oenanthe is 1.86 au from the Sun and 1.80 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 8959 |
| Provisional designation | 2550 P-L |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.96 |
| Orbital period | 3.50 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.30 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.83 – 2.78 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.207 |
| Inclination | 2.13° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.811 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 24 September 1960
- (1743) Schmidt
- (1744) Harriet
- (1776) Kuiper
- (1777) Gehrels
- (1795) Woltjer
- (1808) Bellerophon
- (1809) Prometheus
- (1810) Epimetheus
- (1811) Bruwer
- (1812) Gilgamesh
- (1846) Bengt
- (1868) Thersites