(115015) Chang Diaz Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 24 August 2003 by M. W. Buie at Cerro Tololo.
Franklin R. Chang Díaz (b. 1950) was an astronaut for 25 years and flew seven Space Shuttle missions from 1986 to 2002. He logged more than 1600 hours in space and helped to deploy the Galileo spacecraft to Jupiter. He is the first Costa Rican astronaut and is also of Chinese descent.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2021-01-27), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Chang Diaz is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Chang Diaz is 3.62 au from the Sun and 4.59 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 115015 |
| Provisional designation | 2003 QX84 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 6.15 km (#8,723 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0510 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.04 |
| Orbital period | 5.19 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.00 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.10 – 3.89 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.299 |
| Inclination | 17.5° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.18 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Franklin
All asteroids named after someone called Franklin
Also discovered on 24 August 2003
- (133161) Ruttkai
- (177148) Patzold
- (191341) Lanczos
- (238129) Bernardwolfe
- (287693) Hugonnaivilma
- (317715) Guydetienne
- (595590) Raphaelroose