Discovered by B. A. Skiff Alternative names 1983 VN7 Discovered 4 November 1983 Discoverer Brian A. Skiff Asteroid group Asteroid belt | Discovery date 4 November 1983 Observation arc 11763 days (32.21 yr) Orbits Sun MPC designation 6229 | |
Aphelion 3.6499281 AU (546.02147 Gm) Perihelion 2.5142954 AU (376.13324 Gm) People also search for Sun, 4147 Lennon, 2864 Soderblom | ||
6229 Tursachan (1983 VN7) is a main-belt asteroid discovered on November 4, 1983 by B. A. Skiff at the Anderson Mesa Station of the Lowell Observatory.
Citation
The name is "Standing Stones" in Gaelic, a term used to refer to the stones placed during neolithic times into small or large groups, often into circles, throughout the British Isles. Many of these arrangements exhibit astronomical alignments, and are thought to have been used in at least some cases to track the progression of seasons and mark the occurrence of other significant astronomical events. The name was suggested by Alice Cathryne Dennis, seventh-grade student at The Mountain School in Flagstaff, Arizona, as winner of a contest to name this asteroid in conjunction with the 1997 Flagstaff Festival of Science. Citation prepared by C. B. Luginbuhl.