(6361) Koppel Main-belt Asteroid

Discovered on 7 November 1978 by Helin, E. F., Bus, S. J. at Palomar.

Thomas Koppel (1944-2006) was a Danish musician who started as a classical pianist and composer. He composed the ballet Triumph of Death, and later founded the rock group Savage Rose, which fused elements of classical music, jazz and blues, and expressed a deep commitment to social justice.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2016-08-18), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL

👶 Koppel as a baby name

Where Koppel is today

Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Koppel is 2.71 au from the Sun and 1.78 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.

Facts

Number	6361
Provisional designation	1978 VL11
Orbit class	Main-belt Asteroid
Diameter	3.64 km (#13,596 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size)
Albedo	0.413
Rotation period	9.11 hours
Absolute magnitude (H)	13.38
Orbital period	3.76 years
Semi-major axis	2.42 au
Perihelion – aphelion	2.02 – 2.81 au
Eccentricity	0.163
Inclination	5.73°
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 Thomas

All asteroids named after someone called Thomas

Also discovered on 7 November 1978

More named asteroids discovered by Helin, E. F., Bus, S. J.

All 119

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