(18550) Maoyisheng Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 9 January 1997 by Beijing Schmidt CCD Asteroid Program at Xinglong.
Yisheng Mao (1896-1989) was a world-renowned scientist and one of the founders of modern bridge engineering of China. In the 1930s, he designed and supervised the construction of the Qiantang River Bridge, which is the first bridge of its kind ever designed and built by the Chinese.Naming citation (20010804/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Maoyisheng is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Maoyisheng is 2.96 au from the Sun and 1.97 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 18550 |
| Provisional designation | 1997 AN14 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 9.29 km (#5,552 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0680 |
| Rotation period | 8.81 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.9 |
| Orbital period | 5.20 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.00 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.89 – 3.11 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0355 |
| Inclination | 6.78° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.91 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 9 January 1997
- (8736) Shigehisa
- (9108) Toruyusa
- (9109) Yukomotizuki
- (12028) Annekinney
- (12469) Katsuura
- (29420) Ikuo
- (31087) Oirase
- (39741) Komm