(21420) Steinicke Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 21 March 1998 by W. Bickel at Bergisch Gladbach.
Wolfgang Steinicke (b. 1952) is a German physicist and historian of astronomy, and a core member of the International Revised NGC/IC Project. His research focuses on the history of deep-sky observation, the Herschel family, and Dreyer’s catalogues. He has authored several monographs and numerous papers and published the latest RNGC/IC online.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 6, #16, 7), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Steinicke is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Steinicke is 1.86 au from the Sun and 2.24 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 21420 |
| Provisional designation | 1998 FL74 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.64 |
| Orbital period | 3.45 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.28 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.86 – 2.71 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.186 |
| Inclination | 5.77° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.849 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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All asteroids named after someone called Wolfgang