(39791) Jameshesser Inner Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 13 August 1997 by D. D. Balam at Dominion.
James E. Hesser, acting director of the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics and 1997 recipient of the Michael Smith Award for Science Promotion, has contributed to the study of atomic and molecular spectroscopy, rapidly varying degenerate stars, stellar populations and chemical evolution in the Milky Way and nearby galaxies.Naming citation (20020724/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Jameshesser is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Jameshesser is 2.15 au from the Sun and 2.92 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 39791 |
| Provisional designation | 1997 PH4 |
| Orbit class | Inner Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 1.62 km (#17,309 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.890 |
| Rotation period | 4.83 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.04 |
| Orbital period | 2.71 years |
| Semi-major axis | 1.95 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.74 – 2.15 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.105 |
| Inclination | 23.6° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.863 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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