(16105) Marksaunders Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 14 November 1999 by LONEOS at Anderson Mesa.
Mark Saunders (b. 1942), a NASA engineer/manager, played a key role in the founding of the Discovery Program, which emphasizes frequent access to space for planetary scientists. The name was suggested by J. T. Bergstralh and R. W. Richie.Naming citation (20040928/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Marksaunders is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Marksaunders is 2.86 au from the Sun and 2.40 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 16105 |
| Provisional designation | 1999 VL211 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.37 |
| Orbital period | 5.36 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.06 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.68 – 3.45 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.125 |
| Inclination | 10.5° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.68 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Mark
- (7004) Markthiemens
- (7552) Sephton
- (7778) Markrobinson
- (7917) Hammergren
- (8015) Marksimons
- (8329) Speckman
- (8686) Akenside
- (8789) Effertz
- (10276) Matney
- (10598) Markrees
- (12094) Mazumder
- (13211) Stucky
All asteroids named after someone called Mark
Also discovered on 14 November 1999
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- (23011) Petach
- (23013) Carolsmyth
- (24146) Benjamueller
- (24147) Stefanmuller
- (24148) Mychajliw
- (25424) Gunasekaran
- (25425) Chelsealynn