(4989) Joegoldstein Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 28 February 1981 by S. J. Bus at Siding Spring.
As dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Joseph Goldstein (b. 1939) leads a research group focused on metallographic techniques and experimentally determined phase relationships. This work is vital to understanding the formation and structure of iron meteorites.Naming citation (20001013/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Joegoldstein is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Joegoldstein is 2.99 au from the Sun and 3.98 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 4989 |
| Provisional designation | 1981 DX1 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 5.26 km (#10,120 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.335 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.07 |
| Orbital period | 4.13 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.57 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.10 – 3.04 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.183 |
| Inclination | 12.4° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.15 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 28 February 1981
- (2780) Monnig
- (2958) Arpetito
- (3287) Olmstead
- (3307) Athabasca
- (3602) Lazzaro
- (3805) Goldreich
- (4052) Crovisier
- (4192) Breysacher
- (4473) Sears
- (4523) MIT
- (5046) Carletonmoore
- (5308) Hutchison