(12621) Alsufi Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 24 September 1960 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.
The Persian astronomer Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi (Azophi; 903-986) worked in Isfahan. His influential star atlas, completed around 964 and based on both Ptolemy's Almagest and pre-Islamic star lore, contains the earliest description of the Andromeda Galaxy, M 31.Naming citation (20080122/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Alsufi is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Alsufi is 2.75 au from the Sun and 1.76 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 12621 |
| Provisional designation | 6585 P-L |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Rotation period | 4.72 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.97 |
| Orbital period | 5.49 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.11 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.72 – 3.50 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.126 |
| Inclination | 2.43° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.71 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 24 September 1960
- (1743) Schmidt
- (1744) Harriet
- (1776) Kuiper
- (1777) Gehrels
- (1795) Woltjer
- (1808) Bellerophon
- (1809) Prometheus
- (1810) Epimetheus
- (1811) Bruwer
- (1812) Gilgamesh
- (1846) Bengt
- (1868) Thersites