(12817) Federica Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 22 March 1996 by E. W. Elst at La Silla.
Federica Mula (b. 1995) is the talented daughter of Manuela Sciascia and Nuccio Mula. In the opera Empedocle from Mula-Portera (Agrigento, 2002), she performed the role of the girl who found and returned the sandal of Greek philosopher Empedocles near the Etna volcano.Naming citation (20040713/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Federica is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Federica is 3.10 au from the Sun and 3.08 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 12817 |
| Provisional designation | 1996 FM16 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 9.31 km (#5,539 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0890 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.72 |
| Orbital period | 5.36 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.06 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 3.03 – 3.10 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0114 |
| Inclination | 3.84° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 2.01 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.