(10596) Stevensimpson Main-belt Asteroid

Discovered on 4 October 1996 by D. di Cicco at Sudbury.

For two decades the graphic innovations of Steven Simpson (b. 1958), especially those involving star charts, have allowed (Sky & Telescope) readers to understand the universe better, whether they do so by locating planets in a starry sky or by visualizing the inner workings of atoms.Naming citation (20030501/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL

Where Stevensimpson is today

MercuryVenusEarthEarthMarsMarsStevensimpsonStevensimpson

Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Stevensimpson is 2.90 au from the Sun and 2.84 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.

Facts

Number10596
Provisional designation1996 TS
Orbit classMain-belt Asteroid
Diameter4.72 km (#11,183 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size)
Albedo0.288
Absolute magnitude (H)13.94
Orbital period4.81 years
Semi-major axis2.85 au
Perihelion – aphelion2.79 – 2.90 au
Eccentricity0.0194
Inclination1.55°
Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID)1.78 au

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

Also named after someone called Steven

Also discovered on 4 October 1996

More named asteroids discovered by D. di Cicco