(78867) Isakowitz Outer Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 23 August 2003 by M. W. Buie at Cerro Tololo.
Matthew Scott Isakowitz (1987-2017) was a rising star in space commercialization. His path, from Princeton and George Washington Universities, to the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, XPRIZE, and multiple new space companies was tragically cut too short.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 5, #21, 6), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Isakowitz is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Isakowitz is 3.76 au from the Sun and 3.07 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 78867 |
| Provisional designation | 2003 QE81 |
| Orbit class | Outer Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 7.66 km (#6,936 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0830 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.95 |
| Orbital period | 7.71 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.90 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 3.68 – 4.12 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0564 |
| Inclination | 2.62° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 2.69 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Matthew
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All asteroids named after someone called Matthew
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