(8620) Lowkevrudolph Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 2 March 1981 by S. J. Bus at Siding Spring.
Lowell Kevin Rudolph (b. 1950) contributed to NASA's Lucy Trojan asteroid mission as the Spacecraft Design Lead and Lockheed Martin Proposal Coordinator. He was the Spacecraft Design Lead for the Juno mission to Jupiter, and contributed to the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return and the Cassini mission to Saturn.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 1, #9, 7), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Lowkevrudolph is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Lowkevrudolph is 2.83 au from the Sun and 3.78 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 8620 |
| Provisional designation | 1981 EK5 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 10.1 km (#5,028 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0570 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.99 |
| Orbital period | 5.62 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.16 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.74 – 3.58 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.134 |
| Inclination | 6.79° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.72 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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