(7906) Melanchton Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 24 September 1960 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.
Named after Philipp Melanchton (1497-1560), German reformer who worked closely with Martin Luther. At the early age of twelve, he took lectures at the University of Heidelberg. His personal synthesis of humanism and the Christian faith left a strong mark on German Protestantism, expressed in the Confessio Augustana in 1530.Naming citation (19981005/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Melanchton is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Melanchton is 3.45 au from the Sun and 4.25 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 7906 |
| Provisional designation | 3081 P-L |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 9.55 km (#5,384 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.177 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 12.9 |
| Orbital period | 5.33 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.05 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.60 – 3.50 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.148 |
| Inclination | 10.0° |
| 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 Philipp
All asteroids named after someone called Philipp
Also discovered on 24 September 1960
- (1743) Schmidt
- (1744) Harriet
- (1776) Kuiper
- (1777) Gehrels
- (1795) Woltjer
- (1808) Bellerophon
- (1809) Prometheus
- (1810) Epimetheus
- (1811) Bruwer
- (1812) Gilgamesh
- (1846) Bengt
- (1868) Thersites