(7672) Hawking Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 24 October 1995 by Klet at Klet.
Named in honor of Stephen Hawking (b. 1942), theoretical physicist, professor of mathematics at Cambridge University. He is renowned for his research on cosmology and quantum gravitation theory, as well as on the physics of black holes. Besides his scientific work, he is also the author of the well-known popularizations A Brief History of Time and Black holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays.Naming citation (19980211/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Hawking is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Hawking is 2.15 au from the Sun and 2.26 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 7672 |
| Provisional designation | 1995 UO2 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 2.01 km (#17,026 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.251 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.41 |
| Orbital period | 3.38 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.25 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.09 – 2.41 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0718 |
| Inclination | 6.88° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.10 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Stephen
- (5190) Fry
- (5191) Paddack
- (5292) Mackwell
- (5657) Groombridge
- (7336) Saunders
- (8373) Stephengould
- (9768) Stephenmaran
- (9891) Stephensmith
- (10287) Smale
- (10315) Brewster
- (12984) Lowry
- (16104) Stesullivan
All asteroids named after someone called Stephen
Also discovered on 24 October 1995
- (6802) Cernovice
- (7493) Hirzo
- (8900) AAVSO
- (11105) Puchnarova
- (12790) Cernan
- (17611) Jozkakubik
- (32939) Nasimi
More named asteroids discovered by Klet
- (7390) Kundera
- (7799) Martinsolc
- (8137) Kviz
- (8719) Vesmir
- (8990) Compassion
- (9087) Neff
- (9665) Inastronoviny
- (12409) Bukovanska
- (12790) Cernan
- (12799) von Suttner
- (12835) Stropek
- (14056) Kainar
← (7671) Albis · (7673) Inohara →