(6630) Skepticus Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 15 November 1982 by E. Bowell at Anderson Mesa.
Named for the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal and its journal The Skeptical Enquirer. CSICOP is a nonprofit educational organization, founded in 1976 to investigate paranormal occult and fringe claims using rigorous scientific methodology. CSICOP has spawned a grassroots movement of some 70 autonomous groups worldwide. Through public education and outreach, CSICOP has become a voice of reason to counter pseudoscience and superstition. Name and citation provided by J. McGaha.Naming citation (19960828/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Skepticus is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Skepticus is 2.49 au from the Sun and 2.67 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 6630 |
| Provisional designation | 1982 VA1 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.65 km (#11,339 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.391 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.61 |
| Orbital period | 3.33 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.23 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.78 – 2.68 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.201 |
| Inclination | 6.06° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.786 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.