(50252) Dianahannikainen Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 30 January 2000 by CSS at Catalina.
Diana Hannikainen (b. 1967) is a Finnish-American astronomer who received her Ph.D. in high-energy astrophysics concentrating on microquasars and radio astronomy. She joined the Sky Sky and Telescope Telescope staff in 2017 as a science communicator, becoming Editor-in-Chief of the magazine in 2024.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 4, #16, 12), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Dianahannikainen is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Dianahannikainen is 2.02 au from the Sun and 1.05 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 50252 |
| Provisional designation | 2000 BE23 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.98 |
| Orbital period | 3.45 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.29 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.97 – 2.60 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.140 |
| Inclination | 3.50° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.979 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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