7066 Nessus

7066 Nessus is a centaur (a type of icy planetoid) that was found  by David L. Rabinowitz, working with Spacewatch, at Kitt Peak on April 26 1993. It was the second centaur found by him (5145 Pholus being his first), and the third centaur to be found (2060 Chiron was the first). It was officially announced on May 13, 1993 in IAUC 5789 with designation .

 Orbit 
Nessus finishes one orbit around the Sun in 122.4 years, an eccentricity of 0.52 and an inclination to the ecliptic of 15.6 degrees. At perihelion (closest approach to the Sun), it moves closer to the Sun than Uranus, while at aphelion (farthest approach to the Sun) it goes even farther than Neptune.

The orbits of centaurs change from time to time because of interactions with the giant planets. Nessus is thought to have a fairly long orbital half-life of about 4.9 Myr.
 References 

 Other websites 
 Orbital simulation from JPL (Java) / Ephemeris
 Spacewatch 
 Asteroid/Comet connection 
 The Centaur Research Project 
 Astrological keywords for Nessus

Category:Asteroids