(16405) Testudo Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 20 February 1985 by H. Debehogne at La Silla.
Testudo is the name of the mascot of the University of Maryland (UMD). Students from UMD observed this minor planet in order to determine its rotation period, and the name represents how they came together for this research. UMD is home to the Small Bodies Node of NASA’s Planetary Data System.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 4, #9, 13), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Testudo is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Testudo is 2.72 au from the Sun and 2.64 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 16405 |
| Provisional designation | 1985 DA2 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.20 km (#12,270 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.306 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.92 |
| Orbital period | 3.52 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.31 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.77 – 2.86 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.237 |
| Inclination | 6.59° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.765 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.