(9815) Mariakirch Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 24 September 1960 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.
Maria Margarethe Kirch, née Winkelmann (1670-1720), wife and mother of astronomers, was an astronomer in her own right, observing, computing and publishing calendars, working in Berlin and Danzig. Although the comet of April 1702 was first credited to her husband, she was later acknowledged as the discoverer.Naming citation (20001111/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Mariakirch is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Mariakirch is 2.65 au from the Sun and 1.66 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 9815 |
| Provisional designation | 2079 P-L |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.50 km (#11,620 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.288 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.0 |
| Orbital period | 4.71 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.81 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.62 – 3.00 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0689 |
| Inclination | 4.85° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.63 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Maria
- (4555) Josefaperez
- (6635) Zuber
- (7026) Gabrielasilang
- (7722) Firneis
- (9013) Sansaturio
- (9822) Hajdukova
- (10924) Mariagriffin
- (11517) Esteracuna
- (12005) Delgiudice
- (12624) Mariacunitia
- (13760) Rodriguez
- (14230) Mariahines
All asteroids named after someone called Maria
Also discovered on 24 September 1960
- (1743) Schmidt
- (1744) Harriet
- (1776) Kuiper
- (1777) Gehrels
- (1795) Woltjer
- (1808) Bellerophon
- (1809) Prometheus
- (1810) Epimetheus
- (1811) Bruwer
- (1812) Gilgamesh
- (1846) Bengt
- (1868) Thersites