(9963) Sandage Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 9 January 1992 by E. F. Helin at Palomar.
Allan Sandage (b. 1926), a distinguished American astronomer of Palomar and Mt. Wilson fame, is an international authority in stellar astronomy and observational cosmology. The name was suggested by S. Kientz and endorsed by the discoverer, who first met Sandage at Palomar in the early 1970s.Naming citation (20010902/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Sandage is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Sandage is 1.86 au from the Sun and 1.93 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 9963 |
| Provisional designation | 1992 AN |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 6.37 km (#8,415 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.158 |
| Rotation period | 4.65 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.01 |
| Orbital period | 3.58 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.34 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.69 – 3.00 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.280 |
| Inclination | 23.5° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.774 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Allan
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- (11697) Estrella
- (13490) Allanchapman
- (27604) Affeldt
- (70715) Allancheuvront
- (171153) Allanrahill
- (175259) Offenberger
All asteroids named after someone called Allan