13973

13973 is a minor planet in the asteroid belt, located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It was discovered on October 26, 1992, by astronomers Eleanor F. Helin and Kenneth J. Lawrence at the Palomar Observatory in California, United States. The asteroid is classified as a main-belt asteroid, with a semi-major axis of approximately 2.7 astronomical units (AU) and an orbital period of about 4.5 Earth years.

13973 has a diameter of roughly 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) and an absolute magnitude of 13.4. Its spectral type is X, which indicates that its surface composition is not well understood. The asteroid has a relatively low albedo, meaning it reflects only a small fraction of the sunlight that hits it.

The orbit of 13973 is moderately eccentric, with an eccentricity of about 0.15. Its inclination to the ecliptic is approximately 10 degrees. The asteroid completes one rotation on its axis every 5.5 hours.

As of now, there is no known companion asteroid or moon orbiting 13973. The asteroid's name has not been officially assigned by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), and it remains unnamed in the Minor Planet Center's database.