(12374) Rakhat Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 15 May 1994 by C. P. de Saint-Aignan at Palomar.
Rakhat is a planet with the first known extraterrestrial life in the novel The Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell. First contact is established when a group of specialists organized by Jesuits is sent to the planet.Naming citation (20020328/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Rakhat is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Rakhat is 2.62 au from the Sun and 3.60 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 12374 |
| Provisional designation | 1994 JG9 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.57 km (#11,496 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.212 |
| Rotation period | 18.2 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.96 |
| Orbital period | 4.07 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.55 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.76 – 3.33 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.308 |
| Inclination | 9.00° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.754 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.