(8764) Gallinago

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( 8764 ) Gallinago is an asteroid of the inner main belt, which was discovered on 29 September 1973 by the Dutch astronomer Cornelis Johannes van Houten couple and Ingrid van Houten - Groeneveld. The discovery happened during the 2nd Trojan survey, in which the 120 - cm Oschin Schmidt telescope at Palomar Observatory recorded by Tom Gehrels field plates at Leiden University were screened, 13 years after the beginning of the Palomar - Leiden Surveys.

The asteroid belongs to the Polana family ( named after (142 ) Polana ), a subgroup of the Nysa - group (named after (44 ) Nysa ). The Nysa group is also called Hertha family ( according to (135 ) Hertha). Common to all members of those families and groups that orbits around the Sun in 2:1 resonance are with that of the planet Mars, so are stable over a longer period. The timeless ( nichtoskulierenden ) orbital elements of ( 8764 ) Gallinago are almost identical to those of the smaller, if we start from the absolute brightness of 17.1 compared with 15.3, asteroid ( 346363 ) 2008 ST2.

( 8764 ) is named after the Common Snipe Gallinago, a snipe bird, whose scientific name Gallinago gallinago is. At the time of designation of the asteroid on February 2, 1999, the Snipe was on the Dutch Red List of Threatened Species.