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9999 Wiles

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9999 Wiles is a small asteroid in the outer part of the main asteroid belt. It belongs to the Koronis family, a group of asteroids formed by past collisions. It is about 7 kilometers across and orbits the Sun every about 4.8 years, at a distance of roughly 2.6 to 3.0 astronomical units. Its orbit is slightly elongated and tilted a few degrees relative to the plane of the Solar System.

Discovery: It was discovered on 29 September 1973 by Dutch astronomers Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten, working with Tom Gehrels at Palomar Observatory in California. The discovery was part of the Palomar–Leiden survey (designated T-2). The photographic plates were processed at Leiden Observatory.

Name: The asteroid is named after Andrew Wiles, the British mathematician who proved Fermat's Last Theorem in 1993. The naming was published in 1999.

Physical properties: It rotates roughly every 3.47 hours. Its surface reflects a modest amount of sunlight, with an albedo around 0.24 to 0.26. Its spectral type has been described as LS, between stony S-type and rare L-type, with some classifications also listing C-type. Its absolute magnitude is about 12.9.

Notes: Observations in 2014 provided the rotation period from light curves, and infrared measurements give a diameter of about 7 kilometers.


This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 22:35 (CET).