(9668) Tianyahaijiao Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 3 June 1997 by Beijing Schmidt CCD Asteroid Program at Xinglong.
“Tianya Haijiao”, which literally means “edge of the sky, rim of the sea”, is the name of a famous rocky outcrop of historical significance on the south coast of Hainan Island just to the west of Sanya, the southernmost city in China.Naming citation (20061109/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Tianyahaijiao is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Tianyahaijiao is 2.62 au from the Sun and 1.86 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 9668 |
| Provisional designation | 1997 LN |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.27 km (#12,123 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.244 |
| Rotation period | 91.3 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.92 |
| Orbital period | 4.67 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.79 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.61 – 2.98 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0661 |
| Inclination | 6.15° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.61 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.