(158520) Ricardoferreira Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 19 March 2002 by Juels, C. W., Holvorcem, P. R. at Fountain Hills.
Over more than 60 years, Brazilian physicochemist Ricardo Ferreira (b. 1928) did research on the origins of the genetic code, on the observed uniform handedness of the molecules from which biological macro-molecules are built, molecular orbital theory, and the history of science.Naming citation (20120703/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Ricardoferreira is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Ricardoferreira is 2.91 au from the Sun and 2.08 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 158520 |
| Provisional designation | 2002 FR1 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 6.96 km (#7,711 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0630 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.8 |
| Orbital period | 4.40 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.68 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.45 – 2.92 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0872 |
| Inclination | 28.9° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.53 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.