(12644) Robertwielinga Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 30 September 1973 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.
Robert Wielinga (b. 1962) is a Dutch physics teacher, active amateur astronomer and popularizer of astronomy. He has been head of the public observatory Sonnenborgh in Utrecht, a member of the European Association for Astronomy Education (EAAE) and secretary of the EAAE Board.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2015-02-03), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Robertwielinga is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Robertwielinga is 2.88 au from the Sun and 3.81 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 12644 |
| Provisional designation | 3285 T-2 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Rotation period | 3.19 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.58 |
| Orbital period | 3.67 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.38 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.83 – 2.93 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.231 |
| Inclination | 3.74° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.834 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Robert
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- (5739) Robertburns
- (5817) Robertfrazer
All asteroids named after someone called Robert
Also discovered on 30 September 1973
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