(20128) Panconrad Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 7 January 1996 by AMOS at Haleakala.
Pamela (Pan) G. Conrad (b. 1952) is an American astrobiologist and expert on planetary habitability. As Deputy Principal Investigator for the SAM instrument on Curiosity and Co-Investigator for SHERLOC on Perseverance, she led the development of key strategies to detect biosignatures and assess environmental conditions on Mars.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 6, #9, 12), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Panconrad is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Panconrad is 3.22 au from the Sun and 2.49 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 20128 |
| Provisional designation | 1996 AK |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 7.84 km (#6,735 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.137 |
| Rotation period | 4.79 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.52 |
| Orbital period | 5.29 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.03 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.56 – 3.51 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.157 |
| Inclination | 14.5° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.58 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.