(50427) Ralphmerrifield Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 26 February 2000 by CSS at Catalina.
Ralph Merrifield (1913–1995) was a British archaeologist. Described as “the father of London’s modern archaeology”, he made significant contributions to the study of Roman London and the role of ritual and magic in archaeology. As a museum curator and scholar, Ralph influenced the interpretation of ancient beliefs and everyday practices.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 5, #19, 7), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Ralphmerrifield is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Ralphmerrifield is 3.13 au from the Sun and 4.01 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 50427 |
| Provisional designation | 2000 DT15 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 5.89 km (#9,097 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.140 |
| Rotation period | 15.8 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.16 |
| Orbital period | 5.34 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.06 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.82 – 3.30 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0783 |
| Inclination | 11.5° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.81 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Ralph
- (9003) Ralphmilliken
- (9850) Ralphcopeland
- (9881) Sampson
- (9902) Kirkpatrick
- (10491) Chou
- (11377) Nye
- (12956) Ralphwijers
- (13852) Ford
- (33594) Ralphlawton
- (172191) Ralphmcnutt
All asteroids named after someone called Ralph
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- (47707) Jamieson
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- (50412) Ewen