(8135) Davidmitchell Main-belt Asteroid

Discovered on 7 November 1978 by Helin, E. F., Bus, S. J. at Palomar.

David Francis Mitchell (b. 1962) contributed to NASA's Lucy Trojan asteroid mission as the Director of Flight Projects and Acting Director of Planetary Science Projects. He has helped shepherd multiple other missions and in 2021 became the Director of Engineering and Technology at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 1, #9, 6), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL

Where Davidmitchell is today

Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Davidmitchell is 2.36 au from the Sun and 2.93 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.

Facts

Number	8135
Provisional designation	1978 VP10
Orbit class	Main-belt Asteroid
Diameter	4.93 km (#10,743 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size)
Albedo	0.200
Rotation period	5.20 hours
Absolute magnitude (H)	14.42
Orbital period	3.80 years
Semi-major axis	2.44 au
Perihelion – aphelion	2.26 – 2.61 au
Eccentricity	0.0707
Inclination	3.90°
Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID)	1.26 au

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

Also named after someone called David

All asteroids named after someone called David

Also discovered on 7 November 1978

More named asteroids discovered by Helin, E. F., Bus, S. J.

All 119

← (8134) Minin · (8136) Landis →