(9122) Hunten Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 22 March 1998 by Spacewatch at Kitt Peak.
Donald M. Hunten (b. 1925), of the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, has studied the atmospheres of the planets and their satellites, participating in space missions from Pioneer to Cassini. He used mid-infrared spectroscopy to study the comet impacts on Jupiter and has studied Martian water vapor and lightning on Venus.Naming citation (20000124/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Hunten is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Hunten is 2.78 au from the Sun and 2.71 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 9122 |
| Provisional designation | 1998 FZ8 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.02 km (#12,696 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.302 |
| Rotation period | 7.92 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.35 |
| Orbital period | 4.98 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.92 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.78 – 3.05 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0465 |
| Inclination | 3.09° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.80 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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