(12497) Ekkehard Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 26 March 1998 by ODAS at Caussols.
Ekkehard Kührt (b. 1954) is the head of the Asteroids and Comets Department of the DLR institute of Planetary Research. He has been active in minor bodies research for decades and was involved in many space missions. Ekkehard has been the project leader of the DLR contributions for the instruments of the Rosetta mission.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 1, #5, 6), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Ekkehard is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Ekkehard is 3.18 au from the Sun and 2.57 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 12497 |
| Provisional designation | 1998 FQ14 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.87 |
| Orbital period | 4.39 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.68 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.91 – 3.46 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.289 |
| Inclination | 6.89° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.905 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 26 March 1998
- (12498) Dragesco
- (17779) Migomueller
- (19410) Guisard
- (52703) Bernardleblanc
- (55913) Alinedupin
- (58782) Suhelahmeti
- (65937) Herveconstans
- (69596) Balkowski