(159999) Michaelgriffin Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 2 March 2006 by M. W. Buie at Kitt Peak.
Michael D. Griffin (b. 1949) served as the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Space Department Head and previously served as the NASA Administrator during the New Horizons Mission to Pluto.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2018-05-29), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Michaelgriffin is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Michaelgriffin is 2.85 au from the Sun and 3.38 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 159999 |
| Provisional designation | 2006 EZ67 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 16.59 |
| Orbital period | 4.76 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.83 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.71 – 2.94 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0407 |
| Inclination | 2.42° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.71 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Michael
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- (7738) Heyman
- (7936) Mikemagee
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All asteroids named after someone called Michael