(12172) Niekdekort Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 16 October 1977 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.
Niek De Kort (b. 1956) has done outstanding work popularizing astronomy. He authored several books, including one about space research and the course book Modern Astronomy (1980) for a TV course with an enrollment of 25 000 people. The name was suggested by H. van Woerden and A. v. d. Brugge.Naming citation (20100527/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Niekdekort is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Niekdekort is 2.48 au from the Sun and 2.70 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 12172 |
| Provisional designation | 2390 T-3 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.29 km (#12,074 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.349 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.82 |
| Orbital period | 3.69 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.39 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.21 – 2.56 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0719 |
| Inclination | 7.61° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.21 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 16 October 1977
- (3798) de Jager
- (3936) Elst
- (4044) Erikhog
- (4108) Rakos
- (4722) Agelaos
- (4753) Phidias
- (4754) Panthoos
- (5610) Balster
- (5699) Munch
- (5700) Homerus
- (5984) Lysippus
- (6055) Brunelleschi