(333171) Chris Outer Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 11 April 2005 by Mt. Lemmon Survey at Mount Lemmon.
Christopher D. Norman (b. 1979) is an American member of the Guidance, Navigation, and Control team as well as a camera operations lead for the OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission. He helped develop the Natural Feature Tracking autonomous navigation system that delivered the spacecraft to the surface of Bennu.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 5, #15, 16), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
👶 Chris as a baby name🐶 Chris as a dog name
Where Chris is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Chris is 4.05 au from the Sun and 3.92 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 333171 |
| Provisional designation | 2012 CD51 |
| Orbit class | Outer Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.46 |
| Orbital period | 7.92 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.97 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 3.59 – 4.36 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0976 |
| Inclination | 3.16° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 2.58 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Christopher
- (5382) McKay
- (7024) Impey
- (7923) Chyba
- (9541) Magri
- (11713) Stubbs
- (12665) Chriscarson
- (12868) Onken
- (13609) Lewicki
- (14179) Skinner
- (15851) Chrisfleming
- (17815) Kulawik
- (17908) Chriskuyu
All asteroids named after someone called Christopher