(9680) Molina Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 22 October 1960 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.
Mario J. Molina (b. 1943) was a co-recipient of the 1995 Nobel Prize in chemistry, awarded for work in atmospheric chemistry.Naming citation (20001111/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
👶 Molina as a baby name🐶 Molina as a dog name
Where Molina is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Molina is 2.06 au from the Sun and 2.66 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 9680 |
| Provisional designation | 3557 P-L |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.42 km (#11,805 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.160 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.68 |
| Orbital period | 3.42 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.27 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.03 – 2.52 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.108 |
| Inclination | 4.65° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.04 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Mario
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All asteroids named after someone called Mario