(20171) Salerno Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 30 November 1996 by L. Lai at Dossobuono.
Salerno is a provincial capital in Campania, Italy. Founded by the Romans in 197 BC, it became the capital of the Principality of Salerno in the Early Middle Ages. It evolved into a multicultural center and the home of the Salerno Medical School, the oldest of its kind in Europe.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 6, #9, 14), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Salerno is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Salerno is 2.39 au from the Sun and 2.40 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 20171 |
| Provisional designation | 1996 WC2 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 2.35 km (#16,526 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.508 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.56 |
| Orbital period | 3.68 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.38 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.30 – 2.46 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0334 |
| Inclination | 8.03° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.31 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.