(6472) Rosema Main-belt Asteroid

Discovered on 15 October 1985 by E. Bowell at Anderson Mesa.

Named in honor of Keith D. Rosema (b. 1967), computer scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In 1989, Rosema completed the first California Institute of Technology senior thesis in asteroid radar astronomy. Since then he has used his formidable computer-programming expertise and analytical talents to make crucial contributions to observations of near-Earth and main-belt asteroids. His library of software has proved to be an essential tool for reduction and analysis of echoes from most of the radar-detected asteroids, including (4769) Castalia, (4179) Toutatis, (1620) Geographos and (6489) 1991 JX. Rosema is also one of a handful of people who have devoted extensive time to asteroid radar astronomy at both Arecibo and Goldstone. Name suggested and citation prepared by S. J. Ostro.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 5, #28, 5), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL

Where Rosema is today

Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Rosema is 3.61 au from the Sun and 4.47 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.

Facts

Number	6472
Provisional designation	1985 TL
Orbit class	Main-belt Asteroid
Diameter	12.7 km (#3,819 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size)
Albedo	0.109
Absolute magnitude (H)	13.35
Orbital period	5.49 years
Semi-major axis	3.11 au
Perihelion – aphelion	2.57 – 3.65 au
Eccentricity	0.174
Inclination	4.95°
Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID)	1.56 au

Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.

Also named after someone called Keith

All asteroids named after someone called Keith

Also discovered on 15 October 1985

More named asteroids discovered by E. Bowell

All 554

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