(551878) Stoeger Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 29 February 2012 by R. P. Boyle K. Äernis at Mount Graham.
William R. Stoeger (1943–2014) was an American Jesuit priest at the Vatican Observatory who developed ways to test different mathematical formalisms of cosmology by observation. He co-edited a notable series of academic conference proceedings on science and theology with colleagues at the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences in Berkeley.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 3, #2, 15), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Stoeger is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Stoeger is 2.14 au from the Sun and 2.86 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 551878 |
| Provisional designation | 2013 PF2 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 17.0 |
| Orbital period | 4.59 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.76 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.09 – 3.43 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.244 |
| Inclination | 13.9° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.12 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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