(70728) Gal-Edd Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 1 November 1999 by CSS at Catalina.
Jonathan Gal-Edd (b. 1954) is the Ground Systems Manager for the OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission. He was also the Ground System Chief Engineer for the Landsat Data Continuity Mission, and the Ground Segment Mission Engineering Manager for the James Webb Space Telescope.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2015-01-05), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Gal-Edd is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Gal-Edd is 2.59 au from the Sun and 3.26 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 70728 |
| Provisional designation | 1999 VA4 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 2.08 km (#16,951 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.408 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.28 |
| Orbital period | 3.71 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.40 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.86 – 2.93 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.223 |
| Inclination | 3.15° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.867 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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