(245983) Machholz Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 26 September 2006 by K. Cernis at Moletai.
Donald Edward Machholz Jr (b. 1952) is an American amateur astronomer. He discovered visually 11 new comets in 1978--2010 (including periodic comets 96P and 141P). He is one of the inventors of the Messier Marathon.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2017-11-04), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Machholz is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Machholz is 3.45 au from the Sun and 4.19 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 245983 |
| Provisional designation | 2006 SG198 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.21 |
| Orbital period | 5.54 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.13 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.81 – 3.46 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.104 |
| Inclination | 23.1° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.86 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