(8794) Joepatterson Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 6 March 1981 by S. J. Bus at Siding Spring.
Joseph Otis Patterson III (b. 1946) is a professor of astronomy at Columbia University specializing in the study of cataclysmic variable stars. His outreach to high school students has inspired professional careers spanning from optics to asteroids, stellar physics, galaxies and cosmology.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2014-07-12), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Joepatterson is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Joepatterson is 1.88 au from the Sun and 1.74 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 8794 |
| Provisional designation | 1981 EA7 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Rotation period | 2.86 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.03 |
| Orbital period | 3.40 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.26 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.77 – 2.75 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.217 |
| Inclination | 5.68° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.778 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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