(12002) Suess Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 19 March 1996 by Pravec, P., Sarounova, L. at Ondrejov.
Austrian geologist Franz Eduard Suess (1867-1941), professor at the Technical College in Prague and the University of Vienna, worked on crystalline bedrock of the Bohemian Mass and made fundamental studies of the moldavites. He introduced the word “tektite”. The name was suggested by H. Raab.Naming citation (20000124/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Suess is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Suess is 3.34 au from the Sun and 3.81 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 12002 |
| Provisional designation | 1996 FR1 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 6.31 km (#8,492 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.177 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.67 |
| Orbital period | 5.25 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.02 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.70 – 3.34 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.106 |
| Inclination | 9.42° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.71 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Franz
- (3412) Kafka
- (6212) Franzthaler
- (6807) Brunnow
- (10380) Berwald
- (12244) Werfel
- (15282) Franzmarc
- (24916) Stelzhamer
- (27984) Herminefranz
- (30933) Grillparzer
- (65694) Franzrosenzweig
- (214911) Viehbock
- (278417) Kerschbaum
All asteroids named after someone called Franz