Discovered by C. S. Shoemaker MPC designation 5381 Sekhmet Minor planet category Aten ยท NEO Discovered 14 May 1991 Spectral type S-type asteroid Discovery site Palomar Observatory | Discovery date 14 May 1991 Alternative names 1991 JY Orbital period 336 days Orbits Sun Discoverer Carolyn S. Shoemaker | |
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Named after Sekhmet
(Egyptian mythology) Similar 3671 Dionysus, 69230 Hermes, 3554 Amun, 3362 Khufu, Asteroid belt | ||
5381 Sekhmet is an Aten asteroid whose orbit is sometimes closer to the Sun than the Earth's. It was discovered on 14 May 1991 by Carolyn Shoemaker at Palomar Observatory. It is named after Sekhmet, the Egyptian goddess of war.
Sekhmet is believed to be an S-type asteroid, and believed by some to measure approximately 1.4 km in diameter.
In December 2003, a team of astronomers at Arecibo Observatory announced that the asteroid may have a moon that measures 300 m in diameter and orbits approximately 1.5 km from Sekhmet. This moon is not yet confirmed.
References
5381 Sekhmet Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA