77185 Cherryh is a main belt

Asteroid belt

The asteroid belt is the region of the Solar System located roughly between the orbits of the planets Mars and Jupiter. It is occupied by numerous irregularly shaped bodies called asteroids or minor planets...

 asteroid

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...

. Its provisional designation

Provisional designation in astronomy

Provisional designation in astronomy is the naming convention applied to astronomical objects immediately following their discovery. The provisional designation is usually superseded by a permanent designation once a reliable orbit has been calculated...

 was 2001 FE9.

It was discovered on March 20, 2001 at the George Observatory in Needville, Texas

Needville, Texas

Needville is a city in Fort Bend County, Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. The population was 2,609 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Needville is located at ....

 by amateur astronomer

Amateur astronomy

Amateur astronomy, also called backyard astronomy and stargazing, is a hobby whose participants enjoy watching the night sky , and the plethora of objects found in it, mainly with portable telescopes and binoculars...

s Don Wells and Alex Cruz

Alex Cruz

Alex Cruz may be:* Álex Cruz , a Spanish footballer* Alex José da Cruz known as Alex Cruz, a Brazilian footballer* Alex Cruz, an American amateur astronomer credited with a couple of minor planet discoveries...

 of the Fort Bend Astronomy Club (FBAC) Asteroid Discovery Team. The discovery was confirmed the next night by Keith Rivich of the FBAC.

The asteroid was named by Wells and Cruz after the award winning American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 science fiction

Science fiction

Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...

 and fantasy

Fantasy

Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...

 author C. J. Cherryh

C. J. Cherryh

Carolyn Janice Cherry , better known by the pen name C. J. Cherryh, is a United States science fiction and fantasy author...

.

See also

• Asteroid belt
  Asteroid belt
  The asteroid belt is the region of the Solar System located roughly between the orbits of the planets Mars and Jupiter. It is occupied by numerous irregularly shaped bodies called asteroids or minor planets...
  
  
• List of asteroids named after people
• List of asteroids/77001–78000
• Meanings of asteroid names (77001-78000)
  Meanings of asteroid names (77001-78000)
  Minor planets not yet given a name have not been included in this list....
  
  

External links

• JPL Small-Body Database Browser. 77185 Cherryh.
• FBAC Asteroid and HEAT Team Page. FBAC Asteroid Discoveries at the George Observatory.