9969 Braille

This small asteroid is similar to Vesta, a rare type of asteroid and one of the largest bodies in the main asteroid belt of Sol system, which lies between Mars and Jupiter. It is not known whether asteroid Braille is a chip off Vesta's old block, or if the two asteroids are siblings which originated elsewhere, perhaps thrown off a larger body that has long since been destroyed.

The longest side of this elongated irregular asteroid is now estimated at 1.3 miles (2.2 kilometers) and its shortest side appears to be 0.6 miles (1 kilometer). By contrast, Vesta has a diameter of about 310 miles (500 kilometers).

Formerly known as 1992 KD, the 9969th asteroid discovered in the Sol system was renamed in honor of a human pioneer in written communication for the blind. Asteroid 9969 Braille rotates only once in 9 days, and has an orbit greatly tilted relative to the ecliptic plane of the planets.