(8103) Fermi Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 19 January 1994 by Farra d'Isonzo at Farra d'Isonzo.
Named in memory of the Italian physicist Enrico Fermi (1901-1954), winner of the 1938 Nobel Prize in physics for his demonstration of the existence of new radioactive elements produced by neutron irradiation and for the related discovery of nuclear reactions primed by slow neutrons. A many-sided personality, Fermi has been a star in the heavens of this century's physics, as shown in his studies of nuclear and particle physics. He is the second Italian Nobel laureate in physics, joining Guglielmo Marconi (1909).Naming citation (19990202/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Fermi is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Fermi is 2.85 au from the Sun and 3.41 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 8103 |
| Provisional designation | 1994 BE |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 9.29 km (#5,556 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0820 |
| Rotation period | 5.26 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.69 |
| Orbital period | 5.12 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.97 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.84 – 3.10 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0429 |
| Inclination | 6.87° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.84 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Enrico
- (7258) Pettarin
- (17076) Betti
- (17703) Bombieri
- (18099) Flamini
- (25216) Enricobernardi
- (33010) Enricoprosperi
- (33376) Medi
- (37573) Enricocaruso
- (48720) Enricomentana
- (55428) Cappellaro
- (65848) Enricomari
- (79847) Colzani
All asteroids named after someone called Enrico