(8628) Davidsaltzberg Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 2 March 1981 by S. J. Bus at Siding Spring.
David Saltzberg (b. 1967) is a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California, Los Angeles, and science consultant for the television sitcom The Big Bang Theory.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 3, #12, 12), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Davidsaltzberg is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Davidsaltzberg is 2.14 au from the Sun and 1.15 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 8628 |
| Provisional designation | 1981 EX21 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 10.5 km (#4,841 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0460 |
| Rotation period | 243 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.09 |
| Orbital period | 4.32 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.65 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.13 – 3.18 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.198 |
| Inclination | 12.4° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.12 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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All asteroids named after someone called David
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