(279397) Dombeck Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 16 February 2010 by Pan-STARRS 1 at Haleakala.
Thomas W. Dombeck (1945-2016) received his Physics PhD from Northwestern University. He displayed his creative genius as professor, research scientist, project director for Pan-STARRS, husband and father.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2017-10-05), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Dombeck is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Dombeck is 3.02 au from the Sun and 4.00 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 279397 |
| Provisional designation | 2010 DN77 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 2.76 km (#15,731 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.146 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.61 |
| Orbital period | 5.36 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.06 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.73 – 3.40 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.109 |
| Inclination | 12.7° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.74 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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