(6568) Serendip Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 21 February 1993 by Ueda, S., Kaneda, H. at Kushiro.
Serendip is the old Persian name for present-day Sri Lanka, the island in the Indian Ocean, rich in history, culture and natural beauty. The name was used in the fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip, whose heroes were always making discoveries of things they were not seeking. The name was suggested by E. Goffin.Naming citation (20060613/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Serendip is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Serendip is 2.97 au from the Sun and 3.81 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 6568 |
| Provisional designation | 1993 DT |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 9.85 km (#5,193 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0460 |
| Rotation period | 16.0 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.29 |
| Orbital period | 4.06 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.54 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.11 – 2.97 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.169 |
| Inclination | 8.47° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.14 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.