(9937) Triceratops Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 17 February 1988 by E. W. Elst at La Silla.
Triceratops was a heavy dinosaur with three horns, two above the eyes and one on the snout. It lived in Upper Cretaceous times. Many Triceratops skeletons have been found in Wyoming and Colorado.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 3, #15, 6), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Triceratops is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Triceratops is 2.10 au from the Sun and 2.14 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 9937 |
| Provisional designation | 1988 DJ2 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.14 |
| Orbital period | 3.64 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.37 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.82 – 2.91 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.231 |
| Inclination | 1.26° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.819 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.