(12142) Franklow Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 24 September 1960 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.
American physicist Frank J. Low (b. 1933) invented the gallium-doped germanium bolometer and became a leader in infrared astronomy. He pioneered open-port airborne astronomy and helped develop infrared spaceborne astronomy.Naming citation (20070926/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Franklow is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Franklow is 3.36 au from the Sun and 3.17 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 12142 |
| Provisional designation | 4624 P-L |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 8.82 km (#5,895 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0430 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.27 |
| Orbital period | 5.61 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.16 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.67 – 3.65 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.156 |
| Inclination | 4.11° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.68 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Frank
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All asteroids named after someone called Frank
Also discovered on 24 September 1960
- (1743) Schmidt
- (1744) Harriet
- (1776) Kuiper
- (1777) Gehrels
- (1795) Woltjer
- (1808) Bellerophon
- (1809) Prometheus
- (1810) Epimetheus
- (1811) Bruwer
- (1812) Gilgamesh
- (1846) Bengt
- (1868) Thersites