(48801) Penninger Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 22 October 1997 by E. Meyer at Linz.
Josef Penninger (b. 1964), director of the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, has been honored by various university chairs and numerous awards. He was chosen by the magazine Esquire as one of the ten most interesting people of the year 2000.Naming citation (20060809/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Penninger is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Penninger is 2.54 au from the Sun and 2.83 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 48801 |
| Provisional designation | 1997 UC1 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 6.66 km (#8,039 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0630 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.78 |
| Orbital period | 4.67 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.79 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.17 – 3.41 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.222 |
| Inclination | 7.79° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.18 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Josef
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All asteroids named after someone called Josef