(7277) Klass Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 4 September 1983 by E. Bowell at Anderson Mesa.
Named in honor of Philip J. Klass (b. 1919), for more than 30 years the senior avionics editor of Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine. Klass is best known to the public for his work in skeptically evaluating sensationalist claims about UFOs, making numerous TV appearances and writing five books on the subject. He has also written extensively on surveillance satellites. Name and citation provided by R. Sheaffer.Naming citation (19990202/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Klass is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Klass is 2.47 au from the Sun and 1.92 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 7277 |
| Provisional designation | 1983 RM2 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 8.90 km (#5,833 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0600 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.06 |
| Orbital period | 4.23 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.62 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.03 – 3.20 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.225 |
| Inclination | 3.79° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.02 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Philip
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All asteroids named after someone called Philip