(217124) Michaelsalinas Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 6 February 2002 by M. W. Buie at Kitt Peak.
Michael J. Salinas (b. 1995) is an American engineer at KinetX Aerospace. He served as an orbit determination analyst for the NASA New Horizons mission trajectory to the Kuiper belt object Arrokoth.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 4, #4, 11), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Michaelsalinas is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Michaelsalinas is 3.02 au from the Sun and 3.93 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 217124 |
| Provisional designation | 2002 CQ262 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 16.44 |
| Orbital period | 4.83 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.86 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.64 – 3.07 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0749 |
| Inclination | 2.65° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.65 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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