(5255) Johnsophie Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 19 May 1988 by E. F. Helin at Palomar.
Named in honor of John and Sophie Karayusuf, parents of Alford S. Karayusuf, a friend of the discoverer. Under the starry skies of the Syrian Desert, they inspired their children to study the stars and planets and to wonder in amazement at the ability of mankind to explore the heavens.Naming citation (19980610/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Johnsophie is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Johnsophie is 2.65 au from the Sun and 3.47 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 5255 |
| Provisional designation | 1988 KF |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 13.7 km (#3,473 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0510 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.54 |
| Orbital period | 4.37 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.67 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.63 – 2.72 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0161 |
| Inclination | 11.6° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.63 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Sophie
All asteroids named after someone called Sophie