(78221) Leonmow Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 18 July 2002 by J. Ellis J. Dellinger at Needville.
Leon Mow (1919-2002) was an Australian philanthropist with a great interest in astronomy. In 1990 he donated a dark-sky site to the Astronomical Society of Victoria (ASV), so that others could share in his passion. The ASV holds a number of public star parties there each year.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 5, #17, 7), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Leonmow is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Leonmow is 2.96 au from the Sun and 3.79 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 78221 |
| Provisional designation | 2002 OP7 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.97 km (#10,666 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0540 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.53 |
| Orbital period | 4.17 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.59 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.02 – 3.17 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.222 |
| Inclination | 11.3° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.05 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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