(46793) Phinney Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 1 May 1998 by NEAT at Haleakala.
Jeffrey L. Phinney's (b. 1957) love of the sky brought him to Palomar Observatory in 1985. After a short stint as a telescope operator, he joined the 1.2-m Oschin Schmidt Telescope team, where his wide-ranging skills contributed significantly to the success of the Second Palomar Sky Survey.Naming citation (20040107/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Phinney is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Phinney is 2.31 au from the Sun and 1.50 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 46793 |
| Provisional designation | 1998 JP |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 2.20 km (#16,777 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.276 |
| Rotation period | 9.83 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.92 |
| Orbital period | 3.38 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.25 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.84 – 2.66 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.183 |
| Inclination | 6.56° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.836 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Jeffrey
- (7376) Jefftaylor
- (7657) Jefflarsen
- (9519) Jeffkeck
- (9564) Jeffwynn
- (11691) Easterwood
- (14576) Jefholley
- (15088) Licitra
- (19598) Luttrell
- (21507) Bhasin
- (22564) Jeffreyxing
- (22991) Jeffreyklus
- (23038) Jeffbaughman
All asteroids named after someone called Jeffrey
Also discovered on 1 May 1998
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- (11727) Sweet
- (11728) Einer
- (12101) Trujillo
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- (17851) Kaler
- (17853) Ronaldsayer
- (20360) Holsapple
- (20361) Romanishin
- (20362) Trilling
- (21495) Feaga
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