(8026) Johnmckay Inner Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 8 May 1991 by E. F. Helin at Palomar.
NASA research pilot John McKay (1922–1975) was the fifth pilot to fly the X-15 and made a total of 29 flights. Before joining the X-15 program, he made 46 flights in the X-1 and D-558-II Skyrocket. In 2005 McKay received posthumous NASA astronaut wings for a flight that reached an altitude of 89900 meters.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 3, #12, 9), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Johnmckay is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Johnmckay is 1.80 au from the Sun and 1.46 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 8026 |
| Provisional designation | 1991 JA1 |
| Orbit class | Inner Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 1.69 km (#17,282 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.815 |
| Rotation period | 372 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.95 |
| Orbital period | 2.67 years |
| Semi-major axis | 1.93 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.78 – 2.07 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0751 |
| Inclination | 19.9° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.799 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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