(11263) Pesonen Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 23 July 1979 by E. Bowell at Anderson Mesa.
Lauri Pesonen (b. 1944) is an emeritus Professor of geophysics at the University of Helsinki. An expert in supercontinents, he also studied terrestrial impact craters. He introduced planetary geophysics at the University and raised public awareness in Finland about asteroid impacts.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2014-07-12), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Pesonen is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Pesonen is 3.94 au from the Sun and 4.12 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 11263 |
| Provisional designation | 1979 OA |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 10.1 km (#5,055 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0260 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.83 |
| Orbital period | 4.96 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.91 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.81 – 4.00 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.376 |
| Inclination | 25.2° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.808 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Lauri
All asteroids named after someone called Lauri