(12583) Buckjean Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 11 September 1999 by D. K. Chesney at High Point.
Named for the discoverer's father, a railroad conductor, and his mother, a registered nurse. Both worked long hours to bring up their children, Gary, Dennis, Karen and Linda in Clovis, New Mexico. A Christmas gift of binoculars from his parents ultimately led to this discovery.Naming citation (20000320/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Buckjean is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Buckjean is 2.92 au from the Sun and 3.24 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 12583 |
| Provisional designation | 1999 RC35 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 25.8 km (#1,632 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0320 |
| Rotation period | 15.6 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 12.43 |
| Orbital period | 5.15 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.98 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.77 – 3.19 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0702 |
| Inclination | 10.9° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.78 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.