3688 Navajo
Encyclopedia
3688 Navajo is an outer main-belt asteroid
discovered on March 30, 1981 by Edward L. G. Bowell
at Anderson Mesa
. It is one of very few asteroids located in the 2 : 1 mean motion resonance
with Jupiter
. Named for the Navajo people
of the southwest United States.
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
discovered on March 30, 1981 by Edward L. G. Bowell
Edward L. G. Bowell
Edward L. G. Bowell , known as "Ted", is an American astronomer. Bowell was educated at Emanuel School London, University College, London, and the Université de Paris....
at Anderson Mesa
Anderson Mesa
Lowell Observatory, Anderson Mesa Station, USA, was established in 1959 as a dark-sky observing site for Lowell Observatory. Anderson Mesa is now home to several large reflecting telescopes that are used for observing programs such as LONEOS...
. It is one of very few asteroids located in the 2 : 1 mean motion resonance
Orbital resonance
In celestial mechanics, an orbital resonance occurs when two orbiting bodies exert a regular, periodic gravitational influence on each other, usually due to their orbital periods being related by a ratio of two small integers. Orbital resonances greatly enhance the mutual gravitational influence of...
with Jupiter
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...
. Named for the Navajo people
Navajo people
The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
of the southwest United States.