(17640) Mount Stromlo Mars-crossing Asteroid
Discovered on 15 August 1996 by McNaught, R. H., Child, J. B. at Macquarie.
Home to Australia's oldest telescopes and latest technologies, Mt. Stromlo Observatory was devastated by fire on 2003 Jan. 18. Since the installation of the Oddie refractor in 1910, the staff contributed greatly to the astronomical community, including support for the Canberra Astronomical Society and amateur astronomy.Naming citation (20030501/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Mount Stromlo is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Mount Stromlo is 3.12 au from the Sun and 4.05 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 17640 |
| Provisional designation | 1996 PA7 |
| Orbit class | Mars-crossing Asteroid |
| Diameter | 3.85 km (#13,108 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.398 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.68 |
| Orbital period | 3.54 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.32 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.50 – 3.14 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.353 |
| Inclination | 25.4° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.617 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.