(5391) Emmons Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 13 September 1985 by E. F. Helin at Palomar.
Richard Emmons (b. 1919), emeritus professor of physics at Ohio's Kent State University, had his interest in astronomy sparked by an article published soon after the discovery of 1932 HA, now (1862) Apollo. He was an early observer of artificial satellites.Naming citation (20000523/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Emmons is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Emmons is 1.98 au from the Sun and 1.04 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 5391 |
| Provisional designation | 1985 RE2 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 5.58 km (#9,601 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.298 |
| Rotation period | 3.03 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.62 |
| Orbital period | 3.40 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.26 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.71 – 2.81 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.243 |
| Inclination | 2.51° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.697 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Richard
- (4143) Huziak
- (4252) Godwin
- (5567) Durisen
- (6368) Richardmenendez
- (6893) Sanderson
- (7392) Kowalski
- (7845) Mckim
- (7966) Richardbaum
- (8331) Dawkins
- (8717) Richviktorov
- (9725) Wainscoat
- (9882) Stallman
All asteroids named after someone called Richard