(162158) Merrillhess Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 15 February 1999 by Cooney Jr., W. R., Kandler, E. at Baton Rouge.
Merrill Hess (b. 1955) is an amateur astronomer and has been President and Vice-President of the Baton Rouge Astronomical Society many times. He was a member of the team that established the Highland Road Park Observatory in Baton Rouge, which specializes in public outreach and education in astronomy.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2013-07-22), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Merrillhess is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Merrillhess is 2.27 au from the Sun and 2.03 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 162158 |
| Provisional designation | 1999 CZ9 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 6.66 km (#8,057 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0410 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.96 |
| Orbital period | 4.67 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.79 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.16 – 3.43 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.227 |
| Inclination | 9.01° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.17 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.