(20124) Marilynfogel Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 21 November 1995 by Spacewatch at Kitt Peak.
Marilyn L. Fogel (1952–2022) was a pioneering American biogeochemist and expert on stable isotopes at the Carnegie Institution and U. of California. She revolutionized use of stable isotopes to understand metabolism, the history of life, and extraterrestrial organics, earning her the moniker “Isotope Queen” and election to the National Academy of Sciences.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 6, #9, 11), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Marilynfogel is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Marilynfogel is 2.63 au from the Sun and 3.53 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 20124 |
| Provisional designation | 1995 WJ36 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.93 km (#10,741 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.264 |
| Rotation period | 16.7 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.8 |
| Orbital period | 4.18 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.59 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.23 – 2.96 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.141 |
| Inclination | 14.4° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.22 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Marilyn
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All asteroids named after someone called Marilyn