(13642) Ricci Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 19 April 1996 by P. G. Comba at Prescott.
Gregorio Ricci-Curbastro (1853-1925) was a professor of mathematics at the University of Padua. Building on the work of Riemann and Christoffel, he developed tensor analysis, a formalism for the study of those properties of physical systems or abstract spaces that remain invariant under changes of coordinates.Naming citation (20000523/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Ricci is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Ricci is 3.48 au from the Sun and 4.31 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 13642 |
| Provisional designation | 1996 HX |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 9.85 km (#5,195 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0870 |
| Rotation period | 3.08 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.66 |
| Orbital period | 5.26 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.03 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.53 – 3.52 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.164 |
| Inclination | 6.21° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.52 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.