4450 Pan

Also known as Pan

asteroid

Key facts

Discovered by: C. S. Shoemaker , E. M. Shoemaker
Discovery site: Palomar Obs.
Discovery date: 25 September 1987
Pronunciation: / ˈ p æ n /
Named after: Pan ( Greek deity )
Alternative designations: 1987 SY · 1937 CA
Minor planet category: NEO · Apollo · PHA
Observation arc: 78.85 yr (28,799 days)
Earliest precovery date: 6 February 1937
Aphelion: 2.2884 AU
Perihelion: 0.5962 AU
Semi major axis: 1.4423 AU
Orbital period sidereal

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Article

4450 Pan (prov. designation: 1987 SY) is a highly eccentric asteroid and contact binary, classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid and near-Earth object of the Apollo group, approximately 1.1 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 25 September 1987, by American astronomers Eugene and Carolyn Shoemaker at Palomar Observatory in California, United States. It was named after Pan from Greek mythology.

Naming