(31338) Lipperhey Outer Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 25 April 1998 by E. W. Elst at La Silla.
Dutch lensmaker Hans Lipperhey (1570-1619), known for his invention of Dutch perspective glass, was the first to design and seek a patent for a practical telescope, which he made available for general use in 1608.Naming citation (20080520/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Lipperhey is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Lipperhey is 4.13 au from the Sun and 3.70 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 31338 |
| Provisional designation | 1998 HX147 |
| Orbit class | Outer Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 12.8 km (#3,803 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0570 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.46 |
| Orbital period | 7.92 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.97 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 3.74 – 4.20 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0581 |
| Inclination | 9.57° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 2.74 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Hans
- (3692) Rickman
- (4991) Hansuess
- (5323) Fogh
- (5475) Hanskennedy
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- (9562) Memling
- (9689) Freudenthal
- (10542) Ruckers
- (12672) Nygardh
- (12729) Berger
- (13177) Hansschmidt
All asteroids named after someone called Hans
Also discovered on 25 April 1998
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- (12100) Amiens
- (12524) Conscience
- (12526) de Coninck
- (13238) Lambeaux
- (16946) Farnham
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