(8256) Shenzhou Mars-crossing Asteroid
Discovered on 25 October 1981 by Purple Mountain Observatory at Nanking.
Shenzhou, meaning “Miracle Ship”, is the name of the first series of Chinese manned spaceships.Naming citation (20041126/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Shenzhou is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Shenzhou is 2.31 au from the Sun and 2.21 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 8256 |
| Provisional designation | 1981 UZ9 |
| Orbit class | Mars-crossing Asteroid |
| Rotation period | 3.40 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.91 |
| Orbital period | 3.26 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.20 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.65 – 2.74 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.249 |
| Inclination | 6.84° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.665 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.