(507490) Possum Main-belt Asteroid

Discovered on 9 October 2012 by CSS at Catalina.

Possum Observatory (Gisborne, New Zealand) regularly conducts and submits astrometric observations of comets, asteroids and NEOs. In addition, Possum Observatory has helped detect exoplanets using microlensing. The observatory is named after the owner, John Drummond's late wife, Elizabeth `Possum' Drummond.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 3, #11, 7), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL

Where Possum is today

MercuryVenusEarthEarthMarsMarsPossumPossum

Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Possum is 2.19 au from the Sun and 1.24 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.

Facts

Number507490
Provisional designation2012 UZ28
Orbit classMain-belt Asteroid
Absolute magnitude (H)16.86
Orbital period4.66 years
Semi-major axis2.79 au
Perihelion – aphelion2.19 – 3.39 au
Eccentricity0.215
Inclination14.1°
Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID)1.24 au

Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.

Also discovered on 9 October 2012

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