(3543) Ningbo Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 11 November 1964 by Purple Mountain Observatory at Nanking.
Named for the historic Chinese port city, birthplace of the Neolithic Hemudu culture, dating back 7000 years and symbolized by oars and rice. It is also a birthplace of modern Chinese industry.Naming citation (19981005/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Ningbo is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Ningbo is 3.33 au from the Sun and 2.35 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 3543 |
| Provisional designation | 1964 VA3 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 21.7 km (#2,002 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0940 |
| Rotation period | 6.40 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 12.07 |
| Orbital period | 5.67 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.18 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.64 – 3.72 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.170 |
| Inclination | 1.05° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.62 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.