(40463) Frankkameny Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 15 September 1999 by G. W. Billings at Calgary.
Frank E. Kameny (1925–2011) trained as a variable star astronomer in the 1950s, but joined the Civil Rights struggle. His contributions included removing homosexuality from being termed a mental disorder in 1973 and shepherding passage of the District of Columbia marriage equality law in 2009.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 4, #4, 5), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Frankkameny is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Frankkameny is 2.39 au from the Sun and 2.64 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 40463 |
| Provisional designation | 1999 RE44 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 3.85 km (#13,092 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0750 |
| Rotation period | 56.6 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.3 |
| Orbital period | 4.63 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.78 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.27 – 3.28 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.182 |
| Inclination | 2.44° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.26 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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