(346471) Sleeperhennig Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 1 October 2008 by R. Holmes at Charleston.
Melissa Sleeper (b. 1957) is an American elementary teacher and Lee Ann Hennig (b. 1946) is an American high-school astronomy teacher. Both women have inspired and encouraged many students to become scientists. Name suggested by Thomas Jefferson High School students from Fairfax County, Virginia, who participated in the IASC.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 6, #9, 18), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Sleeperhennig is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Sleeperhennig is 2.56 au from the Sun and 2.12 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 346471 |
| Provisional designation | 2008 TA160 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 16.51 |
| Orbital period | 4.36 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.67 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.38 – 2.96 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.110 |
| Inclination | 10.5° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.40 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Melissa
- (5626) Melissabrucker
- (8626) Melissarauch
- (13308) Melissamayne
- (14584) Lawson
- (15624) Lamberton
- (17928) Neuwirth
- (20534) Bozeman
- (21744) Meliselinger
- (21919) Luga
- (23176) Missacarvell
- (26334) Melimcdowell
- (28788) Hayes-Gehrke
All asteroids named after someone called Melissa