(27963) Hartkopf Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 25 September 1997 by Pravec, P., Wolf, M. at Ondrejov.
US astronomer William I. Hartkopf (b. 1951), president of IAU Commission 26 (Double and Multiple Stars) from 2003 to 2006, made important contributions to double-star orbit determinations and speckle interferometric observations. In 2009 he was awarded the Simon Newcomb award of the U.S. Naval Observatory.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2018-05-29), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Hartkopf is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Hartkopf is 2.72 au from the Sun and 1.72 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 27963 |
| Provisional designation | 1997 ST2 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.54 |
| Orbital period | 4.86 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.87 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.69 – 3.04 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0611 |
| Inclination | 1.22° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.70 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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