(7173) Sepkoski Inner Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 15 August 1988 by Shoemaker, C. S., Shoemaker, E. M. at Palomar.
Named in memory of paleontologist J. John Sepkoski Jr. (1948-1999). His far-reaching work made a major contribution to quantifying the nature of life's diversity through time. The compilation of a huge database, begun while he was at the University of Rochester and continued at the University of Chicago, enabled researchers to combine mathematical modeling and paleoecology with massive data arrays. Together with his colleague David Raup, Sepkoski developed the theory that catastrophic extinction events have a 26-million-year periodicity.Naming citation (19990728/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Sepkoski is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Sepkoski is 1.93 au from the Sun and 1.92 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 7173 |
| Provisional designation | 1988 PL1 |
| Orbit class | Inner Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.14 km (#12,412 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.236 |
| Rotation period | 2.50 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.04 |
| Orbital period | 2.74 years |
| Semi-major axis | 1.96 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.93 – 1.98 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0135 |
| Inclination | 19.6° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.942 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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