(85197) Ginkgo Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 5 October 1991 by Borngen, F., Schmadel, L. D. at Tautenburg.
The tree Ginkgo biloba, in German also named ‘Goethe Baum’, is a living fossil, unchanged since the Permian period some 270 million years ago. The attractive Ginkgoes have fan-shaped leaves, can reach a height of 40 meters and are popular in Chinese and Japanese temple gardens and elsewhere.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 2, #16, 4), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Ginkgo is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Ginkgo is 2.17 au from the Sun and 2.36 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 85197 |
| Provisional designation | 1991 TG5 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 16.85 |
| Orbital period | 3.25 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.19 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.85 – 2.53 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.154 |
| Inclination | 2.59° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.859 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.