(15461) Johnbird Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 27 December 1998 by LONEOS at Anderson Mesa.
John M. Bird (b. 1931) is a professor of geology at Cornell University. He is a pioneer in the geological interpretation of plate-tectonic motions and of deep-earth mineralogy. The name was suggested by P. C. Thomas.Naming citation (20040928/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Johnbird is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Johnbird is 2.80 au from the Sun and 2.30 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 15461 |
| Provisional designation | 1998 YT29 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 6.66 km (#8,042 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.190 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.63 |
| Orbital period | 5.69 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.19 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.79 – 3.59 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.125 |
| Inclination | 13.4° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.81 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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