(8071) Simonelli Main-belt Asteroid

Discovered on 5 April 1981 by E. Bowell at Anderson Mesa.

Named in honor of Damon P. Simonelli (b. 1959), planetary scientist at Cornell University and an expert in the study of minor-planetlike bodies using spacecraft photometry. Simonelli was developer of the standard photometric model of Phobos, and a major contributor to the analysis of ground-based and Galileo observations of (951) Gaspra and (243) Ida. Name suggested by B. E. Clark and citation provided by J. Veverka.Naming citation (19990728/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL

Where Simonelli is today

Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Simonelli is 2.31 au from the Sun and 1.91 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.

Facts

Number	8071
Provisional designation	1981 GO
Orbit class	Main-belt Asteroid
Diameter	8.10 km (#6,476 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size)
Albedo	0.0470
Absolute magnitude (H)	14.37
Orbital period	3.58 years
Semi-major axis	2.34 au
Perihelion – aphelion	2.20 – 2.49 au
Eccentricity	0.0616
Inclination	3.35°
Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID)	1.21 au

Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.

Also named after someone called Damon

(30372) Halback

All asteroids named after someone called Damon

Also discovered on 5 April 1981

More named asteroids discovered by E. Bowell

All 554

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