(149831) Okeke Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 12 July 2005 by CSS at Catalina.
Francisca Nneka Okeke (b. 1956) is a Nigerian physicist known for her research on the ionosphere and its impact on climate and space weather. A professor as well as an advocate for women’s education, she has received international recognition for her contributions to geophysics and atmospheric science.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 5, #19, 8), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Okeke is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Okeke is 3.52 au from the Sun and 4.36 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 149831 |
| Provisional designation | 2005 NG101 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 5.52 km (#9,678 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0330 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.79 |
| Orbital period | 5.58 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.14 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.42 – 3.87 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.231 |
| Inclination | 11.1° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.42 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Francisca
All asteroids named after someone called Francisca