(8440) Wigeon Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 17 October 1977 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.
Named after the bird Anas penelope; Wigeon is its English name. It belongs to the family of the Anatidae. It is on the Dutch Blue List of endangered birds. Although this bird does not breed in the Netherlands, it stays there during the winter.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 2, #9, 4), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Wigeon is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Wigeon is 2.93 au from the Sun and 3.91 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 8440 |
| Provisional designation | 1017 T-3 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.37 |
| Orbital period | 4.63 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.78 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.38 – 3.17 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.142 |
| Inclination | 7.75° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.37 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 17 October 1977
- (4043) Perolof
- (6147) Straub
- (7447) Marcusaurelius
- (7854) Laotse
- (9825) Oetken
- (10981) Fransaris
- (11773) Schouten
- (11774) Jerne
- (12648) Ibarbourou
- (34978) van 't Hoff
- (55701) Ukalegon
- (55702) Thymoitos