Discovered by G. Soulié MPC designation 1918 Aiguillon Minor planet category main-belt · (outer) Absolute magnitude 11.7 Discoverer Guy Soulié Asteroid group Asteroid belt | Discovery date 19 October 1968 Alternative names 1968 UA Discovered 19 October 1968 Orbits Sun | |
Named after Aiguillon(French town) People also search for 2366 Aaryn, 2676 Aarhus, 2267 Agassiz | ||
Asteroid 1918 aiguillon
1918 Aiguillon provisional designation 1968 UA, is a dark asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 20 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by French astronomer Guy Soulié at Bordeaux Observatory, France, on 19 October 1968.
Aiguillon orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.8–3.6 AU once every 5 years and 9 months (2,088 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.13 and an inclination of 9° with respect to the ecliptic. The first observation was a precovery taken at Palomar Observatory in 1954, extending the body's observation arc by 14 years prior to its official discovery observation.
According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Aiguillon measures 19.5 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has an albedo of 0.062. Based on a generic magnitude-diameter conversion, the body measures between 12 and 28 kilometers, for an albedo in the range of 0.05 to 0.25 and an absolute magnitude of 11.7. As of 2016, Aiguillon's composition, rotation period and shape remain unknown.
It is named for the discoverer’s birthplace, Aiguillon, a small town on the Garonne river in France. Naming citation was published on 1 December 1979 (M.P.C. 5038).