(500170) Lusitano Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 26 February 2012 by Pan-STARRS 1 at Haleakala.
Lusitano is a modern synonym for Portuguese. Lusitano means “coming from Lusitânia,” an ancient Roman province located between the Douro and Tagus rivers, in what is now Portugal. Name suggested by A. Costa and students from the NUCLIO Asteroid Search Team in Portugal.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 3, #4, 11), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Lusitano is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Lusitano is 2.83 au from the Sun and 2.00 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 500170 |
| Provisional designation | 2012 FF25 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 17.54 |
| Orbital period | 4.19 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.60 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.94 – 3.25 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.252 |
| Inclination | 30.1° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.12 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.