(5948) Longo Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 15 May 1985 by E. Bowell at Anderson Mesa.
Named in honor of Giuseppe Longo (b. 1920), a physicist at the University of Bologna. For most of his professional life a nuclear physicist, in the late 1980s Longo became interested in the Tunguska event. He organized an expedition to the site of the explosion in 1991, at which time microscopic particles, trapped in the resin of surviving trees, were collected. Later detailed analysis showed that the annual distribution of the particles peaked in 1908, and elements were identified that probably originated in meteoritic material. Longo recently organized in Bologna the first workshop where Russian and other modelers of the Tunguska event met and compared their views and results. Name suggested and citation prepared by M. Di Martino and P. Farinella.Naming citation (19961224/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Longo is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Longo is 2.62 au from the Sun and 2.75 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 5948 |
| Provisional designation | 1985 JL |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.6 |
| Orbital period | 4.54 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.74 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.14 – 3.34 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.219 |
| Inclination | 9.54° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.15 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Giuseppe
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- (6556) Arcimboldo
- (7988) Pucacco
- (8155) Battaglini
- (8192) Tonucci
- (8401) Assirelli
- (9397) Lombardi
- (11084) Gio
- (11117) Giuseppeolongo
- (14007) Fiamingo
- (14846) Lampedusa
- (17088) Giupalazzolo
All asteroids named after someone called Giuseppe