(18235) Lynden-Bell Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 29 September 1973 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.
Donald Lynden-Bell (b. 1935), professor at the University of Cambridge, is well known for his studies of the formation, structure and dynamics of galaxies, including the Milky Way.Naming citation (20040107/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Lynden-Bell is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Lynden-Bell is 3.55 au from the Sun and 3.63 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 18235 |
| Provisional designation | 1003 T-2 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 8.75 km (#5,958 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0700 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.09 |
| Orbital period | 5.46 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.10 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.65 – 3.55 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.146 |
| Inclination | 0.729° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.67 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Donald
- (2956) Yeomans
- (4794) Bogard
- (6107) Osterbrock
- (6478) Gault
- (6688) Donmccarthy
- (8875) Fernie
- (9122) Hunten
- (9177) Donsaari
- (9295) Donaldyoung
- (9448) Donaldavies
- (11267) Donaldkessler
- (11419) Donjohnson
All asteroids named after someone called Donald
Also discovered on 29 September 1973
- (2049) Grietje
- (4357) Korinthos
- (4549) Burkhardt
- (4721) Atahualpa
- (4752) Myron
- (4876) Strabo
- (4978) Seitz
- (5151) Weerstra
- (5197) Rottmann
- (5243) Clasien
- (5244) Amphilochos
- (5266) Rauch