An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

An object, discovered in 1977, which was initially assumed to be an asteroid, but subsequent observations showed it to be a weak comet with a detectable coma. Its orbit, lying now between those of Saturn and Uranus, is unstable on time scales of a million years.

Etymology (EN): In Gk. mythology, Xειρων (Cheiron or Chiron) was the wisest of the Centaurs;
he was not a drunkard like other Centaurs. Chiron was tutor to Jason and Heracles. He was the only immortal centaur.