Asteroids with Satellites Database--Johnston's Archive

(3221) Changshi

compiled by Wm. Robert Johnston
last updated 30 August 2026

--Orbital and physical data--

(See this page for definitions of quantities; source codes in brackets, see this link for full references; *A, *D, and *E indicate assumed, derived, and estimated values, respectively.)

dynamical type, primary: main belt asteroid


orbital data, primary (osculating elements) [JPL] :
semimajor axis a: 2.20390625457 AU
orbital period P: 3.2718838523 yr
(= 1195.05557706 d)
eccentricity e: 0.15448742266
perihelion distance q: 1.8634304575 AU
aphelion distance Q: 2.54438205162 AU
inclination i: 3.65103041°
argument of perihelion ω: 233.3966258°
ascending node Ω: 78.58691096°
mean anomaly M: 320.95190515°
perihelion passage TP: 2026 Oct 16.6240098
Epoch: 2026 Jun 09
data arc: 1953-2026 (5976 obs.)
Earth MOID: 0.851145 AU
Jupiter Tisserand invariant TJ: 3.644


orbital data, secondary:
semimajor axis as: 47.8 km (separation) [B26l]
separation/primary radius as/rp:16 [*E]
separation/Hill radius as/rH:0.050 [*E]
orbital period Ps: 6.0 d [*E]
eccentricity es: ?
normalized ang. mom. αL: ?

other data, system (combined):
absolute mag. H: 13.03 [MPC]
slope parameter G: (0.15) [*A]
effective diameter dE: 6.00 ± 0.04 km [M19a]
geometric albedo: 0.373 ± 0.050 [M19a]
color index U-B: ?
color index B-V: ?
color index J-H:0.013 [S10b]
taxonomic type:
mass m: ?
density ρ: (2.0 g/cm3) [*A]
Hill radius rH: 950 km [*E]

other data, primary:
diameter dp: 6.0 ± 0.6 km [B26l]
dimensions :8.3 x 4.4 km [B26l]
axial ratios a/b, b/c:1.9, ? [*D]
rotation period RPp: 2.709 h [JPL]
amplitude in mag., rotational ΔM: 0.3 [B26l]
pole direction Β, λ: ? , ?


other data, secondary:
diameter ds: 2.2 ± 0.8 km [B26l]
diameter ratio ds/dp: 0.37 ± 0.14 [*D]
component mag. difference ΔM: 2.18 ± 0.86 [*D]
rotation period RPs: ?

-- (3221) Changshi --discovery and notes:

Primary discovered 1981 Dec 02 from Purple Mountain Observatory, Nanking, PR China by ?. Alternate designation(s): 1981 XF2, 1954 KG, 1954 LJ, 1970 GU1, 1973 DO, 1974 RS1. Linked to prediscovery observations from 1953 Jan 12. Permanent number assigned 1985 Mar 07.

Named 1995 May 14 for the city of Changshi, China [MPC025229].

Companion discovered 2026 Aug 05 by V. Bao, D. Herald, D. Gault, and C. Weber using stellar occultation observations from Auckland, New Zealand. Announced 2026 Aug 26 [B26l].

--Links, more technical:

--Links, less technical:

--Links to ADS abstracts:


© 2026 by Wm. Robert Johnston.
Last modified 30 August 2026.
Return to Home. Return to Astronomy and Space. Return to Asteroids with Satellites.