(56000) Mesopotamia Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 20 September 1998 by E. W. Elst at La Silla.
Mesopotamia, or “Land between the Rivers”, is the region between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates in western Asia and the cradle of human civilization. Archaeological excavations gave evidence of settlements back to about 10 000 B.C. Around 3000 B.C. writing was invented there.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 3, #12, 7), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Mesopotamia is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Mesopotamia is 2.76 au from the Sun and 3.06 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 56000 |
| Provisional designation | 1998 SN144 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 2.34 km (#16,538 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.224 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.67 |
| Orbital period | 3.65 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.37 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.97 – 2.77 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.170 |
| Inclination | 8.36° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.999 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 20 September 1998
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