(5965) Meisel Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 16 September 1990 by H. E. Holt at Palomar.
David Dering Meisel (1940–2025) was an American astronomer whose research encompassed meteors, comets, and stellar spectroscopy. Of his many accomplishments, he founded the ALPO Comets Section in 1957, served as Executive Director of the American Meteor Society from 1973 to 2024, and advanced the study of visual comet photometry and interstellar meteoroids.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 5, #21, 7), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Meisel is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Meisel is 2.72 au from the Sun and 2.24 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 5965 |
| Provisional designation | 1990 SV15 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 8.08 km (#6,491 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.205 |
| Spectral type | Sa |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.02 |
| Orbital period | 4.53 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.74 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.60 – 2.87 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0491 |
| Inclination | 3.36° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.61 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called David
- (2410) Morrison
- (4262) DeVorkin
- (4536) Drewpinsky
- (5270) Kakabadze
- (5332) Davidaguilar
- (5826) Bradstreet
- (5845) Davidbrewster
- (5920) Davidbell
- (6033) Southwood
- (6111) Davemckay
- (6435) Daveross
- (6953) Davepierce
All asteroids named after someone called David
Also discovered on 16 September 1990
- (4644) Oumu
- (4645) Tentaikojo
- (4676) Uedaseiji
- (4975) Dohmoto
- (5235) Jean-Loup
- (7058) Al-Tusi
- (7060) Al-`Ijliya
- (10086) McCurdy
- (21044) Rummel
- (24695) Styrsky