(5446) Heyler Outer Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 5 August 1991 by H. E. Holt at Palomar.
Named in honor of Gene A. Heyler (b. 1956), spacecraft attitude control expert at the Applied Physics Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University. Heyler has been responsible for developing innovative techniques for tracking minor planets during fast flybys. These techniques played a major role in the success of the NEAR flyby of (253) Mathilde in June 1997. Name suggested and citation provided by J. Veverka.Naming citation (19990728/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Heyler is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Heyler is 3.00 au from the Sun and 2.04 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 5446 |
| Provisional designation | 1991 PB13 |
| Orbit class | Outer Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 18.9 km (#2,370 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0680 |
| Rotation period | 6.99 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 12.5 |
| Orbital period | 5.76 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.21 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.78 – 3.64 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.134 |
| Inclination | 2.37° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.80 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Gene
All asteroids named after someone called Gene
Also discovered on 5 August 1991
- (5444) Gautier
- (5523) Luminet
- (5595) Roth
- (5597) Warren
- (5833) Peterson
- (5919) Patrickmartin
- (5972) Harryatkinson
- (6726) Suthers
- (7085) Franksienkiewicz
- (7244) Villa-Lobos
- (20011) Baryshnikov
- (826870) Iancooper