9617 Grahamchapman

9617 Grahamchapman (provisional designation: 1993 FA₅) is an asteroid in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It was discovered on 17 March 1993, at the European Southern Observatory during the Uppsala-ESO Survey of Asteroids and Comets (UESAC). It is named after the British comedian Graham Chapman, who died in 1989. It is the first in a series of six asteroids carrying the names of members of the Monty Python comedy troupe; the others are 9618 Johncleese, 9619 Terrygilliam, 9620 Ericidle, 9621 Michaelpalin and 9622 Terryjones.

In early 2006, observations by the Ondřejov NEO Photometric Program determined that Grahamchapman is orbited by a moon. The moon is about a quarter the size of Grahamchapman, and orbits it about once every 19 hours. The study also showed that Grahamchapman itself has a rotation period of about 2.3 hours, and probably has a nearly spheroidal shape.

External links

• Uppsala-ESO Survey of Asteroids and Comets
• Ondrejov Asteroid Photometry Project
• European Southern Observatory