(331785) Sumners Mars-crossing Asteroid
Discovered on 26 April 2003 by Beaver, D., Dellinger, J. at Needville.
Carolyn Sumners (b. 1948) has taught astronomy at the Houston Museum of Natural Science's Burke Baker Planetarium since 1972. It was her inspiration to move a meter-class telescope to the George Observatory in 1989 for educating the public under the stars.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2018-10-26), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Sumners is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Sumners is 3.79 au from the Sun and 3.33 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 331785 |
| Provisional designation | 2003 HL15 |
| Orbit class | Mars-crossing Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 16.45 |
| Orbital period | 4.37 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.67 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.53 – 3.82 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.428 |
| Inclination | 25.4° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.737 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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