(9915) Potanin Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 8 September 1977 by N. S. Chernykh at Nauchnyj.
Grigorij Nikolaevich Potanin (1835-1920) was a Russian geographer, ethnographer and publicist, an explorer of Central Asia and Siberia who took part in several expeditions to Mongolia, North China and Tibet. He made a valuable contribution to the development of culture and education in Siberia.Naming citation (20010309/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Potanin is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Potanin is 3.32 au from the Sun and 4.04 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 9915 |
| Provisional designation | 1977 RD2 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 11.9 km (#4,126 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.104 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.49 |
| Orbital period | 5.05 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.94 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.38 – 3.50 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.191 |
| Inclination | 3.20° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.39 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.