(209148) Dustindeford Main-belt Asteroid

Discovered on 27 September 2003 by Sloan Digital Sky Survey at Apache Point.

Dustin DeFord (1989-2013) 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 Dustindeford is today

MercuryVenusEarthEarthMarsMarsDustindefordDustindeford

Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Dustindeford is 2.73 au from the Sun and 1.75 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.

Facts

Number209148
Provisional designation2003 SE322
Orbit classMain-belt Asteroid
Absolute magnitude (H)16.41
Orbital period3.85 years
Semi-major axis2.46 au
Perihelion – aphelion2.12 – 2.79 au
Eccentricity0.135
Inclination13.0°
Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID)1.12 au

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

Also named after someone called Dustin

Also discovered on 27 September 2003

More named asteroids discovered by Sloan Digital Sky Survey