18880 Toddblumberg
| Discovery and designation | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Lincoln Laboratory Near-Earth Asteroid Research Team |
| Discovery site | Socorro |
| Discovery date | December 10, 1999 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | 18880 |
| 1999 XM166 | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch May 14, 2008 | |
| Aphelion | 3.8040848 |
| Perihelion | 2.5921618 |
| Eccentricity | 0.1894741 |
| 2089.0134431 | |
| 180.05642 | |
| Inclination | 9.65453 |
| 20.02172 | |
| 30.32189 | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 14.3 | |
|
| |
18880 Toddblumberg (1999 XM166) is a main-belt asteroid, which means it is a type of minor planet located roughly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. This asteroid was discovered on December 10, 1999 by the Lincoln Laboratory Near-Earth Asteroid Research Team (LINEAR) at Socorro, New Mexico.
Although discovered by LINEAR, 18880 Toddblumberg is not a near-Earth asteroid. Its closest approach to the Sun (perihelion) is about double the maximum distance of 1.3 AU that qualifies an asteroid as "near-Earth".[1]
This asteroid was named for Todd James Blumberg (b. 1984), a student at the Plano Senior High School in Plano, Texas who won a science award for his microbiology project in 2003.[2][3] Since 2001, hundreds of secondary school students who have won awards at science fairs have had asteroids named after them.[4][5]
See also
Meanings of minor planet names: 18001–19000
References
- ↑ "NEO Groups". NASA/JPL Near-Earth Object Program Office. Retrieved 2012-06-04.
- ↑ JPL Small-Body Database Browser, 18880 Toddblumberg (1999 XM166)
- ↑ 2003 Cleveland Intel ISEF Grand Award Winners, Society for Science and the Public.
- ↑ “Asteroid inspires winning science project”, Lincoln Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
- ↑ "2003 Award Honorees", Lincoln Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.