(255703) Stetson Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 25 August 2006 by D. D. Balam at Mauna Kea.
Peter Brailey Stetson (b. 1952) develops freely-available software for the analysis of CCD images and spectra, notably DAOPHOT for precision photometry in crowded fields. His fundamental contributions to numerous fields have greatly advanced astrophysics since the deployment of CCDs in the 1980s.Naming citation (20120207/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Stetson is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Stetson is 2.66 au from the Sun and 2.63 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 255703 |
| Provisional designation | 2006 QN90 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 17.5 |
| Orbital period | 3.77 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.42 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.14 – 2.70 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.117 |
| Inclination | 5.15° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.13 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Peter
- (2382) Nonie
- (4314) Dervan
- (4507) Petercollins
- (5153) Gierasch
- (7527) Marples
- (7925) Shelus
- (8086) Peterthomas
- (8160) Petererwin
- (8280) Petergruber
- (8395) Rembaut
- (9207) Petersmith
- (9269) Peterolufemi
All asteroids named after someone called Peter