(115051) Safaeinili Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 4 September 2003 by CINEOS at Campo Imperatore.
Ali Safaeinili (1964-2009) studied electrical engineering and computer science at Iowa State University. As a radar scientist and electrical engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, he designed new radars used for planetary exploration projects involving measuring the thickness of glaciers and presence of water on Mars.Naming citation (20100330/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Safaeinili is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Safaeinili is 3.03 au from the Sun and 2.71 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 115051 |
| Provisional designation | 2003 RC6 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 6.17 km (#8,688 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.128 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.21 |
| Orbital period | 5.49 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.11 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.70 – 3.53 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.133 |
| Inclination | 16.9° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.75 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Ali
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