(7321) Minervahoyt Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 25 June 1979 by Helin, E. F., Bus, S. J. at Siding Spring.
Minerva Hamilton Hoyt (1866-1945) was an American activist. She advocated for desert regions and plants, educating people across the nation. Thanks to her efforts, California created Joshua Tree, Death Valley, and Anza-Borrego Desert parks. Over 2.5 million people now visit the Joshua Tree park each year.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2019-08-27), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Minervahoyt is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Minervahoyt is 2.48 au from the Sun and 3.48 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 7321 |
| Provisional designation | 1979 MZ2 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 5.22 km (#10,198 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.258 |
| Rotation period | 83.2 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.79 |
| Orbital period | 4.03 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.53 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.31 – 2.75 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0863 |
| Inclination | 2.29° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.33 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 25 June 1979
- (2343) Siding Spring
- (2392) Jonathan Murray
- (2441) Hibbs
- (2618) Coonabarabran
- (2619) Skalnate Pleso
- (2628) Kopal
- (2682) Soromundi
- (2704) Julian Loewe
- (3129) Bonestell
- (3205) Boksenberg
- (3756) Ruscannon
- (3817) Lencarter