2060 Chiron

2060 Chiron
95P/Chiron
	Hubble Space Telescope image of Chiron and its coma, taken in 1996
Discovery
Discovered by	Charles Kowal
Discovery site	Palomar Observatory
Discovery date	1 November 1977
Designations
MPC designation	(2060) Chiron; 95P/Chiron;
Pronunciation	/ˈkaɪrɒn/
Named after	Chiron (Greek mythology)
Alternative designations	1977 UB
Minor planet category	centaur; comet; distant;
Adjectives	Chironian; Chironean; (both /kaɪˈroʊniən/);
Symbol	(astrological)
Orbital characteristics
	Epoch 2021-Jul-01 (JD 2459396.5)
	Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	126.29 yr
Earliest precovery date	24 April 1895; (Harvard Observatory)
Aphelion	18.87 AU (2.8 billion km); (occurred May 2021)
Perihelion	8.533 AU (1.3 billion km)
Semi-major axis	13.70 AU (2.0 billion km)
Eccentricity	0.3772
Orbital period (sidereal)	50.71 yr (18,523 days)
Average orbital speed	7.75 km/s
Mean anomaly	180.70°
Mean motion	0° 1m 10.2s / day
Inclination	6.9299°
Longitude of ascending node	209.27°
Time of perihelion	3 August 2046; 14 February 1996 (previous); 29 August 1945; 16 March 1895;
Argument of perihelion	339.71°
Jupiter MOID	3.1 AU (460 million km)
Saturn MOID	0.48 AU (72 million km)
Uranus MOID	1.4 AU (210 million km)
TJupiter	3.363
Physical characteristics
Mean radius	107.8±4.95 km (Herschel 2013); 116.7±7.3 km (Spitzer); 135.69 km (LCDB, derived);
Synodic rotation period	5.918 h
Geometric albedo	0.057 (assumed); 0.11; 0.15±0.03; 0.160±0.030;
Spectral type	B (Tholen), Cb (SMASS); B–V = 0.704; U–B = 0.283; BB; C;
Apparent magnitude	18.93; 14.9 (Perihelic opposition)
Absolute magnitude (H)	5.80±0.27; 5.82±0.07; 5.83; 5.92±0.20; 6.287±0.022 (R); 6.5; 6.56; 6.79;
Angular diameter	0.035" (max)

2060 Chiron is a small Solar System body in the outer Solar System, orbiting the Sun between Saturn and Uranus. Discovered in 1977 by Charles Kowal, it was the first-identified member of a new class of objects now known as centaurs—bodies orbiting between the asteroid belt and the Kuiper belt.

Although it was initially called an asteroid and classified only as a minor planet with the designation "2060 Chiron", in 1989 it was found to exhibit behavior typical of a comet. Today it is classified as both a minor planet and a comet, and is accordingly also known by the cometary designation 95P/Chiron. Chiron is named after the centaur Chiron in Greek mythology.

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