(288478) Fahlman Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 16 March 2004 by D. D. Balam at Mauna Kea.
Gregory Gaylord Fahlman (b. 1944) has served since 2003 as the Director General of the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, National Research Council of Canada. He has made extensive contributions to studies of globular star clusters using ground- and space-based telescopes.Naming citation (20120207/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Fahlman is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Fahlman is 3.26 au from the Sun and 3.27 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 288478 |
| Provisional designation | 2004 FA17 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 2.70 km (#15,855 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0350 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 16.83 |
| Orbital period | 4.69 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.80 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.30 – 3.31 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.180 |
| Inclination | 7.35° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.29 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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