8373 Stephengould

Lore & Background

8373 Stephengould was discovered on 1 January 1992 by the husband-and-wife team of Carolyn S. Shoemaker and Eugene Merle Shoemaker at Palomar Observatory. The asteroid was named after the Harvard paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould. It resides in the outer main belt and possesses a very high inclination, ranking second among the first 10,000 discovered asteroids, surpassed only by 2938 Hopi.

The asteroid is one of few strongly unstable objects located near the 2:1 mean motion resonance with Jupiter, which corresponds to one of the prominent Kirkwood gaps in the asteroid belt. This resonance contributes to its orbital instability. In 2010, a moon was discovered orbiting the asteroid, with an orbital period of 1 day, 10 hours, and 9 minutes, making it a binary system.

Reader's Guide

8373 Stephengould holds significance as a rare example of a strongly unstable asteroid near the 2:1 mean motion resonance with Jupiter, a region associated with the Kirkwood gaps. Its very high inclination—second highest among the first 10,000 discovered asteroids—further distinguishes it dynamically. The discovery of a moon in 2010 adds to its importance as a binary asteroid, providing insights into the formation and evolution of such systems in the outer main belt. Named after the prominent paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould, the asteroid connects astronomical discovery to the broader scientific legacy of a figure known for his work in evolutionary biology. Its study contributes to understanding orbital dynamics and the population of asteroids in resonant zones.

Did You Know?

• 8373 Stephengould has the second highest inclination of any of the first 10,000 discovered asteroids.
• It is one of few strongly unstable asteroids near the 2:1 mean motion resonance with Jupiter.
• The asteroid was named after Harvard paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould.
• A moon was discovered orbiting it in 2010, with an orbital period of 1 day, 10 hours, and 9 minutes.