(5891) Gehrig Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 22 September 1981 by A. Mrkos at Klet.
Named in memory of Henry Louis (Lou) Gehrig (1903-1941), professional U.S. baseball player. From 1925 to 1939 Gehrig appeared in 2130 consecutive games for the New York Yankees, a reliability record that remained unbroken until 1995. Gehrig was a consistent left-handed batsman, with a career average of 0.340, but his career was ended prematurely as a result of amyothrophic lateral sclerosis (“Lou Gehrig's Disease”). Name suggested by G. V. Williams, who made the identifications involving this object, and T. B. Spahr.Naming citation (19960828/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Gehrig is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Gehrig is 2.45 au from the Sun and 2.29 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 5891 |
| Provisional designation | 1981 SM |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 5.51 km (#9,696 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.359 |
| Rotation period | 3.57 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.46 |
| Orbital period | 3.80 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.43 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.11 – 2.76 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.132 |
| Inclination | 3.35° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.13 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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All asteroids named after someone called Henry