(16583) Oersted Outer Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 26 July 1992 by E. W. Elst at La Silla.
Hans Oersted (1777-1851), a Danish physicist and chemist, discovered that electric currents produce magnetic fields. The oersted, the unit of magnetic field strength, is named after him. In 1829 he founded the College of Advanced Technology, which was later renamed as the Technical University of Denmark.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2013-07-22), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Oersted is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Oersted is 3.05 au from the Sun and 3.47 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 16583 |
| Provisional designation | 1992 OH2 |
| Orbit class | Outer Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 22.1 km (#1,954 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0450 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 12.27 |
| Orbital period | 5.81 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.23 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 3.04 – 3.42 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0577 |
| Inclination | 22.6° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 2.05 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Hans
- (3692) Rickman
- (4991) Hansuess
- (5323) Fogh
- (5475) Hanskennedy
- (6847) Kunz-Hallstein
- (8122) Holbein
- (9562) Memling
- (9689) Freudenthal
- (10542) Ruckers
- (12672) Nygardh
- (12729) Berger
- (13177) Hansschmidt
All asteroids named after someone called Hans
Also discovered on 26 July 1992
- (7064) Montesquieu
- (7093) Jonleake
- (8686) Akenside
- (9194) Ananoff
- (10350) Spallanzani
- (10799) Yucatan
- (12742) Delisle
- (29244) Van Damme