(864938) Giuseppekoch Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 17 January 2015 by R. P. Boyle K. Äernis at Mount Graham.
Fr. Giuseppe Koch (b. 1937) is an Italian Jesuit priest and physicist. He earned a degree in mathematics and physics from “La Sapienza,” with a thesis in low-temperature physics, and taught in Rome and Palermo. From 2002–2009 he served as the Vatican Observatory’s vice-director for administration, overseeing its move to Castel Gandolfo.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 6, #16, 12), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Giuseppekoch is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Giuseppekoch is 3.23 au from the Sun and 4.20 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 864938 |
| Provisional designation | 2015 DK16 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 17.2 |
| Orbital period | 5.23 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.01 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.70 – 3.33 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.104 |
| Inclination | 7.34° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.72 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.