77185 Cherryh
77185 Cherryh, provisional designation, is a background asteroid from the central regions of the asteroid belt, approximately in diameter. It was discovered on 20 March 2001, by American amateur astronomers Don Wells and Alex Cruz at the George Observatory in Needville, Texas. The dark asteroid was named for American writer C. J. Cherryh.Orbit and classification
Cherryh is a non-family asteroid from the main belt's background population. It orbits the Sun in the central asteroid belt at a distance of 2.1–3.1 AU once every 4 years and 2 months. Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.17 and an inclination of 3° with respect to the ecliptic. The body's observation arc begins in October 1990, with a precovery taken by Spacewatch, more than 10 years prior to its official discovery observation at Needville.Naming
This minor planet was named by the discovering members of the Fort Bend Astronomy Club, after C. J. Cherryh, the award-winning American science fiction and fantasy author. The official was published by the Minor Planet Center on 13 July 2004.Physical characteristics
According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Cherryh measures 3.985 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.049. The asteroid's spectral type is unknown. Based on its low geometric albedo it is likely a carbonaceous C-type asteroid. As of 2018, no rotational lightcurve of Cherryh has been obtained from photometric observations. The body's rotation period, pole and shape remain unknown.
