(1853) McElroy Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 15 December 1957 by Indiana University at Brooklyn.
Named in honor of William David McElroy, distinguished biologist and biochemist, chairman of the biology department at Johns Hopkins University during 1956-1969, later director of the National Science Foundation (1969-1972) and chancellor of the University of California at San Diego (1972-1980). During his tenure as director of N.S.F. the U.S. government decided to fund the Very Large Array, which will be the pre-eminent instrument for radio astronomy for many years to come.Naming citation (MPC 5450), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where McElroy is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: McElroy is 2.93 au from the Sun and 1.99 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 1853 |
| Provisional designation | 1957 XE |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 23.8 km (#1,791 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.197 |
| Rotation period | 8.02 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 10.87 |
| Orbital period | 5.36 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.06 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.93 – 3.20 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0454 |
| Inclination | 15.8° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.98 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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