(8444) Popovich Mars-crossing Asteroid
Discovered on 8 October 1969 by L. I. Chernykh at Nauchnyj.
Pavel Romanovich Popovich (b. 1930), a Soviet cosmonaut and specialist in space engineering, participated in the flights of Vostok 4, Soyuz 14 and Salyut 3. He was the first person admitted to the cosmonaut detachment in 1960 and one of the first six candidates selected for training for the first space flights.Naming citation (20010902/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Popovich is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Popovich is 2.36 au from the Sun and 3.29 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 8444 |
| Provisional designation | 1969 TR1 |
| Orbit class | Mars-crossing Asteroid |
| Rotation period | 54.8 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.01 |
| Orbital period | 3.41 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.27 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.65 – 2.88 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.270 |
| Inclination | 1.94° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.645 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Pavel
- (3925) Tret'yakov
- (7450) Shilling
- (8048) Andrle
- (12190) Sarkisov
- (12414) Bure
- (13673) Urysohn
- (13774) Spurny
- (16810) Pavelaleksandrov
- (20579) Pavelzigo
- (21471) Pavelchvykov
- (24194) Palus
- (33040) Pavelmayer
All asteroids named after someone called Pavel
Also discovered on 8 October 1969
- (1855) Korolev
- (1856) Ruzena
- (1956) Artek
- (2030) Belyaev
- (2031) BAM
- (2468) Repin
- (2561) Margolin
- (2877) Likhachev
- (2948) Amosov
- (3126) Davydov
- (3441) Pochaina
- (3659) Bellingshausen