(2421) Nininger Outer Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 17 October 1979 by E. Bowell at Anderson Mesa.
Named on the occasion of the 95th birthday, 1982 Jan. 17, of Harvey Harlow Nininger, celebrated U.S. meteoriticist. Through field investigations and publicity he was responsible for the recovery of some 200 separate meteorite falls and finds, and his resulting 3000 samples are more than those of any other individual prior to the exploration of the Antarctic blue-ice fields. The author of many popular and technical works, he conducted much of his research at the Arizona meteorite crater, not far from Flagstaff. Name proposed by N. Sperling.Naming citation (MPC 6531), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Nininger is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Nininger is 3.18 au from the Sun and 2.63 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 2421 |
| Provisional designation | 1979 UD |
| Orbit class | Outer Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 39.5 km (#989 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0640 |
| Rotation period | 6.41 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 10.97 |
| Orbital period | 5.82 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.23 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 3.10 – 3.37 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0424 |
| Inclination | 10.2° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 2.11 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.