(9663) Zwin Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 15 April 1996 by E. W. Elst at La Silla.
The Zwin is a naturally protected reserve, the result of the silting up of the bay that stretched to Bruges in medieval times. Extending along the coast from Knokke in Belgium to Cadzand in the Netherlands, it gives shelter to many species of birds.Naming citation (20021120/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Zwin is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Zwin is 2.75 au from the Sun and 3.54 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 9663 |
| Provisional designation | 1996 GC18 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 3.66 km (#13,547 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.209 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.7 |
| Orbital period | 4.30 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.64 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.40 – 2.89 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0933 |
| Inclination | 0.881° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.41 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 15 April 1996
- (9795) Deprez
- (10183) Ampere
- (10374) Etampes
- (11332) Jameswatt
- (12444) Prothoon
- (13641) de Lesseps
- (14513) Alicelindner