(7778) Markrobinson Mars-crossing Asteroid
Discovered on 17 April 1993 by Shoemaker, C. S., Shoemaker, E. M. at Palomar.
Named in honor of Mark Robinson, a planetary geologist who has worked on M-type bodies (Mercury, Moon, Mars, and Minor Planets). He began his career in Alaska, where he prospected for mineral ores and earned his B.S. in geology at the University of Alaska. In Hawaii, he completed his doctorate in 1993 on lunar and martian volcanism and then began his outstanding work on the Clementine mission to the Moon as a member of the U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Branch. His efforts, which he continues from his new base at Northwestern University, are now directed to the NEAR spacecraft mission and to future exploration of Mercury. Citation prepared with the assistance of A. McEwen.Naming citation (19990202/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Markrobinson is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Markrobinson is 1.88 au from the Sun and 2.59 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 7778 |
| Provisional designation | 1993 HK1 |
| Orbit class | Mars-crossing Asteroid |
| Rotation period | 7.23 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.37 |
| Orbital period | 3.68 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.38 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.60 – 3.17 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.330 |
| Inclination | 19.5° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.720 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Mark
- (7004) Markthiemens
- (7552) Sephton
- (7917) Hammergren
- (8015) Marksimons
- (8329) Speckman
- (8686) Akenside
- (8789) Effertz
- (10276) Matney
- (10598) Markrees
- (12094) Mazumder
- (13211) Stucky
- (13652) Elowitz
All asteroids named after someone called Mark