(4473) Sears Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 28 February 1981 by S. J. Bus at Siding Spring.
A professor at the University of Arkansas, Derek Sears (b. 1948) has championed thermoluminescence as a tool to unravel the geologic and thermal histories of meteorites. His stewardship of the journal Meteoritics and Planetary Science has placed it at the forefront in its field.Naming citation (20001013/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Sears is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Sears is 2.99 au from the Sun and 2.40 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 4473 |
| Provisional designation | 1981 DE2 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 13.1 km (#3,693 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.149 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 12.78 |
| Orbital period | 5.24 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.02 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.90 – 3.14 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0398 |
| Inclination | 8.79° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.91 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Derek
- (4326) McNally
- (12566) Derichardson
- (33420) Derekwoo
- (42795) Derekmuller
- (106545) Colanduno
- (129053) Derekshannon
All asteroids named after someone called Derek
Also discovered on 28 February 1981
- (2780) Monnig
- (2958) Arpetito
- (3287) Olmstead
- (3307) Athabasca
- (3602) Lazzaro
- (3805) Goldreich
- (4052) Crovisier
- (4192) Breysacher
- (4523) MIT
- (4989) Joegoldstein
- (5046) Carletonmoore
- (5308) Hutchison
More named asteroids discovered by S. J. Bus
- (2285) Ron Helin
- (2780) Monnig
- (2791) Paradise
- (2884) Reddish
- (2919) Dali
- (2980) Cameron
- (2981) Chagall
- (2990) Trimberger
- (3000) Leonardo
- (3029) Sanders
- (3030) Vehrenberg
- (3042) Zelinsky
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