(1740) Paavo Nurmi Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 18 October 1939 by Y. Vaisala at Turku.
Named in memory of Turku-born Paavo Nurmi, the famous Finnish long-distance runner who won seven gold and three silver medals in the Olympic Games and broke 15 world records.Naming citation (MPC 5281), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Paavo Nurmi is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Paavo Nurmi is 2.93 au from the Sun and 3.91 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 1740 |
| Provisional designation | 1939 UA |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 12.8 km (#3,800 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0460 |
| Spectral type | F |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.33 |
| Orbital period | 3.87 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.47 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.00 – 2.94 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.191 |
| Inclination | 2.00° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.997 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.