(209149) Chrismackenzie Main-belt Asteroid

Discovered on 29 September 2003 by Sloan Digital Sky Survey at Apache Point.

Christopher MacKenzie (1983-2013) was one of the 19 elite Prescott's Granite Mountain Hotshot firefighters who lost their lives battling a blaze on a ridge in Yarnell, AZ. Crews such as the Hotshots are connected to astronomy through their brave efforts to protect forests and the observatories within them from fire threats.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2013-10-18), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL

Where Chrismackenzie is today

MercuryVenusEarthEarthMarsMarsChrismackenzieChrismackenzie

Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Chrismackenzie is 2.80 au from the Sun and 3.12 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.

Facts

Number209149
Provisional designation2003 SF421
Orbit classMain-belt Asteroid
Absolute magnitude (H)17.76
Orbital period4.00 years
Semi-major axis2.52 au
Perihelion – aphelion2.15 – 2.89 au
Eccentricity0.148
Inclination2.38°
Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID)1.16 au

Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.

Also named after someone called Christopher

Also discovered on 29 September 2003

More named asteroids discovered by Sloan Digital Sky Survey