(12655) Benferinga Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 16 October 1977 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.
Ben Feringa (b. 1951) is a renowned Dutch chemist, who won the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the development of molecular machines. He is a passionate lecturer and public advocate for science.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2018-10-26), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Benferinga is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Benferinga is 3.34 au from the Sun and 3.17 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 12655 |
| Provisional designation | 5041 T-3 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 9.96 km (#5,121 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.135 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 12.85 |
| Orbital period | 5.30 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.04 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.74 – 3.34 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0999 |
| Inclination | 11.7° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.75 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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