(137217) Racah Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 8 July 1999 by Manulis, I., Gal-Yam, A. at Wise.
Italian-born Giulio (Yoel) Racah (1909-1965) was a founder of physics in Israel. He worked with Enrico Fermi and Wolfgang Pauli. In the early 1940s, while working in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Racah established the basis for using the principals of symmetry to study the atomic nucleus and atomic spectroscopy.Naming citation (20110517/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Racah is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Racah is 2.22 au from the Sun and 2.51 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 137217 |
| Provisional designation | 1999 NH64 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 16.35 |
| Orbital period | 3.45 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.28 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.99 – 2.57 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.127 |
| Inclination | 6.28° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.995 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.