(611494) Gionti Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 18 May 2014 by R. P. Boyle K. Äernis at Mount Graham.
Gabriele Gionti (b. 1967), an Italian theoretical cosmologist and Jesuit priest, works at the Vatican Observatory. His research covers aspects of string theory, and quantum gravity as applied to the physics of the Big Bang. At the Vatican Observatory he has organized several international workshops on space-time singularities in honor of George Lemaître.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 4, #13, 21), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Gionti is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Gionti is 2.95 au from the Sun and 2.57 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 611494 |
| Provisional designation | 2006 WV212 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 17.32 |
| Orbital period | 4.94 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.90 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.72 – 3.08 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0618 |
| Inclination | 7.25° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.72 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Gabriele
All asteroids named after someone called Gabriele