(3412) Kafka Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 10 January 1983 by Kirk, R., Rudy, D. at Palomar.
Named in memory of the Bohemian writer Franz Kafka (1883–1924). In his novels and short stories (of which The Castle, The Trial and “Metamorphosis” are best known), Kafka depicted the fatalistic struggles of ordinary individuals to cope with a world turned surreal and incomprehensibly hostile.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 4, #10, 4), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Kafka is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Kafka is 2.30 au from the Sun and 3.25 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 3412 |
| Provisional designation | 1983 AU2 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 6.08 km (#8,800 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.231 |
| Rotation period | 2,766 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.45 |
| Orbital period | 3.32 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.23 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.99 – 2.46 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.104 |
| Inclination | 2.97° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.01 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Franz
- (6212) Franzthaler
- (6807) Brunnow
- (10380) Berwald
- (12002) Suess
- (12244) Werfel
- (15282) Franzmarc
- (24916) Stelzhamer
- (27984) Herminefranz
- (30933) Grillparzer
- (65694) Franzrosenzweig
- (214911) Viehbock
- (278417) Kerschbaum
All asteroids named after someone called Franz