(1994) Shane Main-belt Asteroid

Discovered on 4 October 1961 by Indiana University at Brooklyn.

Named in honor of C. D. Shane, the second president of AURA (1958-1962). He played a major role in the planning and construction of the first telescopes and buildings on Kitt Peak and also the Tucson headquarters building. Even more important was his initiative in arranging for AURA to take on the responsibility for the construction of a major observatory in the southern hemisphere; this led to the establishment of the Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory. His long and distinguished career at the University of California spanned a period of more than 50 years; he was director of the Lick Observatory during 1945-1958 and was responsible for modernizing and expanding its facilities. Name proposed by F. K. Edmondson.Naming citation (MPC 5848), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL

👶 Shane as a baby name 🐶 Shane as a dog name

Where Shane is today

Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Shane is 2.26 au from the Sun and 2.57 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.

Facts

Number	1994
Provisional designation	1961 TE
Orbit class	Main-belt Asteroid
Diameter	25.1 km (#1,683 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size)
Albedo	0.0640
Rotation period	8.22 hours
Absolute magnitude (H)	12.3
Orbital period	4.39 years
Semi-major axis	2.68 au
Perihelion – aphelion	2.12 – 3.24 au
Eccentricity	0.208
Inclination	10.2°
Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID)	1.14 au

Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.

More named asteroids discovered by Indiana University

All 119

← (1993) Guacolda · (1995) Hajek →