(239672) SOFIA Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 21 December 2008 by F. Hormuth at Calar Alto.
The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a joint German-US air-borne observatory. With its 2.5-m telescope on board a Boeing 747SP aircraft, it allows infrared and sub-millimeter observations from above earth's troposphere, leaving most of the atmospheric water vapor below.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2018-04-30), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
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Where SOFIA is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: SOFIA is 2.91 au from the Sun and 2.13 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 239672 |
| Provisional designation | 2008 YS1 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.94 |
| Orbital period | 4.82 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.85 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.58 – 3.12 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0951 |
| Inclination | 10.3° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.60 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.