(12868) Onken Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 19 June 1998 by LONEOS at Anderson Mesa.
Christopher S. Onken (b. 1979) was a summer student at the Lowell Observatory in 1998. As an observer, he made the first LONEOS near-Earth-asteroid discovery and suggested many useful improvements to the observing protocol.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 5, #28, 6), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Onken is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Onken is 2.69 au from the Sun and 1.98 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 12868 |
| Provisional designation | 1998 MZ7 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Rotation period | 115 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 12.93 |
| Orbital period | 5.48 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.11 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.22 – 4.00 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.285 |
| Inclination | 14.1° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.27 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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