(13254) Kekule Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 26 July 1998 by E. W. Elst at La Silla.
In 1865 German chemist Friedrich Kekulé (1829-1896) discovered the structure of benzene as a six-membered ring of carbon atoms with alternating single and double bonds.Naming citation (20100726/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Kekule is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Kekule is 2.43 au from the Sun and 1.58 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 13254 |
| Provisional designation | 1998 OY13 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 2.81 km (#15,649 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.295 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.07 |
| Orbital period | 3.48 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.30 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.00 – 2.59 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.129 |
| Inclination | 6.73° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.00 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Friedrich
- (4030) Archenhold
- (5665) Begemann
- (6231) Hundertwasser
- (8052) Novalis
- (9189) Holderlin
- (9344) Klopstock
- (10835) Frobel
- (11855) Preller
- (12661) Schelling
- (12694) Schleiermacher
- (14041) Durrenmatt
- (15808) Zelter
All asteroids named after someone called Friedrich
Also discovered on 26 July 1998
- (9470) Jussieu
- (9471) Ostend
- (9472) Bruges
- (9473) Ghent
- (12540) Picander
- (12873) Clausewitz
- (13253) Stejneger
- (13256) Marne
- (13703) Romero
- (20404) Javiersuarez
- (22645) Rotblat
- (22647) Levi-Strauss