(159778) Bobshelton Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 24 June 2003 by D. Healy at Junk Bond.
Robert Shelton (b. 1948), nineteenth president of the University of Arizona, chaired the Keck Telescope Board from 1997 to 2000. His managerial and fundraising skills contributed to the success of the SOAR Telescope in Chile and the SALT facility in South Africa.Naming citation (20080618/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Bobshelton is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Bobshelton is 1.96 au from the Sun and 2.00 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 159778 |
| Provisional designation | 2003 MZ1 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 16.8 |
| Orbital period | 3.83 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.45 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.95 – 2.94 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.202 |
| Inclination | 1.59° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.939 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Robert
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All asteroids named after someone called Robert