(49291) Thechills Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 8 November 1998 by I. P. Griffin at Cocoa.
The Chills are a New Zealand rock band formed in Dunedin in 1980. Fronted by singer/songwriter Martin Phillips, their music is a key element of “the Dunedin Sound”. Their EP release Rocket Science featured photographs taken by the discoverer of this asteroid.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 1, #10, 6), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Thechills is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Thechills is 3.05 au from the Sun and 3.70 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 49291 |
| Provisional designation | 1998 VJ |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 5.59 km (#9,581 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.129 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.54 |
| Orbital period | 4.29 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.64 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.21 – 3.07 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.164 |
| Inclination | 15.4° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.23 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.