(18501) Luria Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 16 July 1996 by Farra d'Isonzo at Farra d'Isonzo.
Salvador Edward Luria (1912–1991) was an Italian-American microbiologist. He won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1969 for his discoveries concerning the replication mechanism and the genetic structure of viruses. He also showed that bacterial resistance to viruses is genetically inherited.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 2, #7, 7), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Luria is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Luria is 2.30 au from the Sun and 3.30 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 18501 |
| Provisional designation | 1996 OB |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 2.80 km (#15,663 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.326 |
| Rotation period | 9.42 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.03 |
| Orbital period | 3.46 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.29 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.20 – 2.37 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0383 |
| Inclination | 3.06° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.18 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Salvador
All asteroids named after someone called Salvador