(12617) Angelusilesius Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 17 October 1960 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.
Angelus Silesius (Johannes Scheffler, 1624-1677) was a German baroque poet. His wisdom was expressed in short verses that are still read and used today. His best known collection starts with “Mensch werde wesentlich ...”Naming citation (20080819/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Angelusilesius is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Angelusilesius is 2.94 au from the Sun and 3.66 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 12617 |
| Provisional designation | 5568 P-L |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 11.2 km (#4,472 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0550 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.65 |
| Orbital period | 4.30 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.64 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.32 – 2.97 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.123 |
| Inclination | 8.06° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.32 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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- (32606) Markkanen
All asteroids named after someone called Johannes
Also discovered on 17 October 1960
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