(8623) Johnnygalecki Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 1 March 1981 by S. J. Bus at Siding Spring.
American actor John Mark “Johnny” Galecki (b. 1975) portrays the fictional Caltech physicist Dr. Leonard Hofstadter in the television sitcom The Big Bang Theory.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 3, #12, 12), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Johnnygalecki is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Johnnygalecki is 2.95 au from the Sun and 3.73 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 8623 |
| Provisional designation | 1981 EQ9 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 8.17 km (#6,411 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0960 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.09 |
| Orbital period | 5.61 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.16 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.85 – 3.46 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0962 |
| Inclination | 4.83° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.85 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called John
- (3882) Johncox
- (3893) DeLaeter
- (4089) Galbraith
- (4147) Lennon
- (4525) Johnbauer
- (4656) Huchra
- (4987) Flamsteed
- (5207) Hearnshaw
- (5216) Cannizzo
- (5362) Johnyoung
- (5517) Johnerogers
- (5558) Johnnapier
All asteroids named after someone called John
Also discovered on 1 March 1981
- (2788) Andenne
- (3016) Meuse
- (3029) Sanders
- (3030) Vehrenberg
- (3042) Zelinsky
- (3058) Delmary
- (3075) Bornmann
- (3135) Lauer
- (3308) Ferreri
- (3472) Upgren
- (3498) Belton
- (3503) Brandt