(3445) Pinson Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 16 March 1983 by E. Barr at Anderson Mesa.
William Hamet Pinson, Jr. (b. 1919), emeritus professor of geology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is known in particular for his extensive studies of the rubidium-strontium ratio in lunar rocks and soil, tektites, meteorites and meteorite craters. The name was suggested by P. Topalian.Naming citation (20000523/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Pinson is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Pinson is 2.44 au from the Sun and 2.88 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 3445 |
| Provisional designation | 1983 FC |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 19.8 km (#2,227 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0580 |
| Rotation period | 7.80 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 12.56 |
| Orbital period | 4.41 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.69 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.35 – 3.03 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.126 |
| Inclination | 11.3° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.36 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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