(7737) Sirrah Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 5 November 1981 by E. Bowell at Anderson Mesa.
Named in honor of Alan William Harris (b. 1952), British astronomer, now at the DLR Institute of Planetary Exploration, Berlin. Harris has made both ground-based and space-based (ISO) radiometric observations of minor planets, concentrating especially on near-Earth objects, and he has developed improved fitting techniques to relate observed fluxes to diameters and albedos. The name chosen is “Harris” spelled backwards, to distinguish from another Harris of the exact same name. Name suggested and citation prepared by the other A. W. Harris.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 5, #28, 6), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Sirrah is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Sirrah is 2.35 au from the Sun and 2.09 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 7737 |
| Provisional designation | 1981 VU |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Rotation period | 4.49 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.65 |
| Orbital period | 3.80 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.44 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.97 – 2.90 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.193 |
| Inclination | 1.98° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.975 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Alan
- (3695) Fiala
- (6227) Alanrubin
- (6860) Sims
- (7160) Tokunaga
- (8110) Heath
- (9250) Chamberlin
- (9291) Alanburdick
- (10113) Alantitle
- (10204) Turing
- (10373) MacRobert
- (12431) Webster
- (13410) Arhale
All asteroids named after someone called Alan