(31770) Melivanhouten Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 13 May 1999 by LINEAR at Socorro.
Melissa Van Houten mentored a finalist in the 2015 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students. She teaches at the Rice Middle School, Plano, Texas.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2016-02-22), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Melivanhouten is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Melivanhouten is 2.97 au from the Sun and 3.34 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 31770 |
| Provisional designation | 1999 JK118 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 3.43 km (#14,157 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.314 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.6 |
| Orbital period | 4.82 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.85 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.74 – 2.97 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0402 |
| Inclination | 3.20° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.72 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Melissa
- (5626) Melissabrucker
- (8626) Melissarauch
- (13308) Melissamayne
- (14584) Lawson
- (15624) Lamberton
- (17928) Neuwirth
- (20534) Bozeman
- (21744) Meliselinger
- (21919) Luga
- (23176) Missacarvell
- (26334) Melimcdowell
- (28788) Hayes-Gehrke
All asteroids named after someone called Melissa
Also discovered on 13 May 1999
- (11417) Chughtai
- (11418) Williamwang
- (11743) Jachowski
- (17130) Alexzhang
- (17147) Mariafields
- (17149) Victoriagraf
- (17151) Zanderhill
- (18012) Marsland
- (18013) Shedletsky
- (18015) Semenkovich
- (18016) Grondahl
- (18019) Dascoli