(3875) Staehle Main-belt Asteroid

Discovered on 17 May 1988 by E. F. Helin at Palomar.

Named in honor of Robert L. Staehle, astronautical engineer, member of the technical staff of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and president and founder of the World Space Foundation. The Foundation, a non-profit corporation, promotes research and the exploration of space and provides funding from private sources. The discoverer wishes to acknowledge Rob Staehle for the role he and the Foundation have played in recognizing the importance of near-Earth asteroids and sponsoring some of the research carried out by the Palomar Planet-Crossing Asteroid Survey. The NASA/JPL Asteroid Project has received valuable assistance and encouragement from Staehle and the Foundation since 1981.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 5, #28, 5), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL

Where Staehle is today

Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Staehle is 2.59 au from the Sun and 2.82 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.

Facts

Number	3875
Provisional designation	1988 KE
Orbit class	Main-belt Asteroid
Diameter	6.61 km (#8,112 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size)
Albedo	0.233
Rotation period	78.7 hours
Absolute magnitude (H)	13.35
Orbital period	3.32 years
Semi-major axis	2.22 au
Perihelion – aphelion	1.79 – 2.66 au
Eccentricity	0.193
Inclination	6.21°
Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID)	0.781 au

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

Also named after someone called Robert

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More named asteroids discovered by E. F. Helin

All 267

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