(8455) Johnrayner Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 6 March 1981 by S. J. Bus at Siding Spring.
John T. Rayner (b. 1954) is an astronomer at the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy and Deputy Director of the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility. He led the effort to design and build SpeX, an instrument that has played a key role in the spectroscopic studies of minor planets for over a decade.Naming citation (20120506/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Johnrayner is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Johnrayner is 2.92 au from the Sun and 1.94 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 8455 |
| Provisional designation | 1981 ER6 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.34 |
| Orbital period | 4.29 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.64 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.14 – 3.14 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.191 |
| Inclination | 5.13° |
| 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 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 6 March 1981
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- (3269) Vibert-Douglas
- (4564) Clayton
- (4965) Takeda
- (5223) McSween
- (5664) Eugster
- (8068) Vishnureddy
- (8794) Joepatterson
- (9282) Lucylim
- (9287) Klima
- (10699) Calabrese
- (11464) Moser