(8149) Ruff Main-belt Asteroid

Discovered on 11 May 1985 by Shoemaker, C. S., Shoemaker, E. M. at Palomar.

Jan Ruff (b. 1949) is the very capable, warm-spirited and enthusiastic chief of the Office of Public Affairs for Goddard Space Center, NASA. Steve Ruff (b. 1949) is an imaginative, creative and knowledgeable middle-school teacher with a wonderful dry sense of humor.Naming citation (20000320/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL

👶 Ruff as a baby name 🐶 Ruff as a dog name

Where Ruff is today

Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Ruff is 2.52 au from the Sun and 2.83 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.

Facts

Number	8149
Provisional designation	1985 JN1
Orbit class	Main-belt Asteroid
Diameter	4.09 km (#12,511 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size)
Albedo	0.554
Rotation period	5.17 hours
Absolute magnitude (H)	13.41
Orbital period	3.54 years
Semi-major axis	2.32 au
Perihelion – aphelion	1.99 – 2.66 au
Eccentricity	0.143
Inclination	6.59°
Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID)	0.976 au

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

Also named after someone called Jan

All asteroids named after someone called Jan

Also discovered on 11 May 1985

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← (8148) Golding · (8150) Kaluga →