52975 Cyllarus

52975 Cyllarus (provisional designation ) is a very red centaur, approximately 62 km in diameter, orbiting the Sun in the outer Solar System. It was discovered on 12 October 1998, by American astronomer Nichole Danzl at the Kitt Peak National Observatory near Sells, Arizona, in the United States. It was later named after the mythological centaur Cyllarus.

Orbit and classification


Cyllarus orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 16.3–36.0 AU once every 133 years and 5 months (48,739 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.38 and an inclination of 13° with respect to the ecliptic. Cyllarus came to perihelion in September 1989. The body's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation at Kitt Peak, as no precoveries were taken, and no prior identifications were made.

Naming
This minor planet was named for the Cyllarus, a centaur of Greek mythology. The official was published by the Minor Planet Center on 14 June 2003 (M.P.C.).

A symbol derived from that for 2060 Chiron,, was devised in the late 1990s by German astrologer Robert von Heeren. It replaces Chiron's K with a CY for Cyllarus.

Physical characteristics
As of 2017, no rotational lightcurve has been obtained from photometric observations. The body's rotation period and shape, as well as its spectral type remains unknown. Cyllarus measures approximately 62 km in diameter, for an albedo of 0.115. It is a red centaur with (RR), and has an absolute magnitude of 9.4.