(42697) Lucapaolini Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 1 June 1998 by E. W. Elst at La Silla.
Luca Paolini (b. 1977), one of the best Italian bicycle racers, was regularly a key player in the victory of several of his teammates. He won the Flemish semi-classic Ghent-Wevelgem in 2015.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 4, #10, 8), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Lucapaolini is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Lucapaolini is 2.24 au from the Sun and 2.48 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 42697 |
| Provisional designation | 1998 LP2 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 3.12 km (#14,919 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.199 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.12 |
| Orbital period | 4.01 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.53 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.24 – 2.81 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.112 |
| Inclination | 13.5° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.27 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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