41864

41864 is a minor planet located in the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It was discovered on October 16, 1977, by the Soviet astronomer Nikolai Chernykh at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in Nauchnyi, Ukraine. The asteroid was given the provisional designation 1977 UH1 before being officially numbered and named.

41864 is classified as a member of the Flora family, a group of stony asteroids that share similar orbits and compositions. This family is one of the largest in the asteroid belt, with thousands of known members. The Flora family is believed to have originated from a collision event that shattered a parent body, creating many smaller fragments that now orbit the Sun independently.

The asteroid has an estimated diameter of approximately 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) and follows an elliptical orbit around the Sun with a period of about 4.3 years. Its distance from the Sun ranges from roughly 2.1 astronomical units (AU) at perihelion (closest approach) to 3.1 AU at aphelion (farthest point). The orbital inclination relative to Earth’s orbit is about 1.5 degrees, meaning it remains relatively close to the plane of the solar system.

Little is known about the physical properties of 41864 beyond its size and orbital characteristics. It does not appear to have been the subject of extensive study, and no missions have visited or observed it directly. Asteroids like 41864 are of interest to scientists because they provide insights into the early solar system’s formation and the processes that shaped the asteroid belt.

Given its small size and lack of distinctive features, 41864 is not commonly referenced in astronomical research or popular culture. It remains one of the many thousands of unnamed or less-studied objects in the asteroid belt.