(21238) Panarea Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 28 November 1995 by T. Kobayashi at Oizumi.
Panarea is a volcanic island placed in the south of Italy. The V-type spectrum for this object, which is located far from Vesta, suggests that it may be a new example of a basaltic achondrite asteroid having no connection to Vesta. Name suggested by R. P. Binzel, S. Foglia and G. Masi.Naming citation (20111012/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Panarea is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Panarea is 2.80 au from the Sun and 2.82 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 21238 |
| Provisional designation | 1995 WV7 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 5.22 km (#10,204 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.373 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.19 |
| Orbital period | 4.05 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.54 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.27 – 2.81 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.107 |
| Inclination | 11.5° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.29 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.