(8131) Scanlon Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 27 September 1976 by E. F. Helin at Palomar.
Named in honor of Leo J. Scanlon (b. 1903), prominent amateur whose interest in astronomy was sparked by seeing comet 1P/Halley in 1910. A plumber by profession, he built his own astronomical equipment and instructed others in telescope making. With Chester B. Rowe he co-founded the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh on 1929. The following year he built the first aluminum observatory dome. He observed variable stars, and he helped organize the Moonwatch team at the Allegheny Observatory in 1957. In 1985 he was happy to be able to observe comet 1P/Halley again. Name proposed by the discoverer, following a suggestion by T. P. Kohman, who prepared the citation.Naming citation (19980610/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Scanlon is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Scanlon is 2.29 au from the Sun and 2.09 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 8131 |
| Provisional designation | 1976 SC |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 6.42 km (#8,356 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.357 |
| Rotation period | 7.18 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 12.83 |
| Orbital period | 4.11 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.57 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.05 – 3.09 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.202 |
| Inclination | 7.36° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.05 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Leo
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- (30166) Leodeng
- (32569) Deming
- (34388) Wylonis
- (38442) Szilard
- (100047) Leobaeck
All asteroids named after someone called Leo