(16421) Roadrunner Inner Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 22 January 1988 by E. W. Elst at Haute Provence.
Roadrunner is the common name for the Californian Earthcuckoo (Geococcyx californianus). The name comes from the habit of the bird of racing down roads in front of fast-moving vehicles.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 2, #15, 6), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Roadrunner is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Roadrunner is 1.96 au from the Sun and 2.16 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 16421 |
| Provisional designation | 1988 BJ |
| Orbit class | Inner Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 3.25 km (#14,588 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.263 |
| Rotation period | 174 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.51 |
| Orbital period | 2.68 years |
| Semi-major axis | 1.93 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.81 – 2.05 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0636 |
| Inclination | 22.8° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.856 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.