(23880) Tongil Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 18 September 1998 by T. H. Lee at Younchun.
In Korean, Tongil means “reunification”. This minor planet, the first one discovered by a Korean amateur astronomer, is named with the hope for an early reunification of the southern and northern parts of Korea, divided since 1945.Naming citation (20010902/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Tongil is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Tongil is 3.08 au from the Sun and 3.90 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 23880 |
| Provisional designation | 1998 SG5 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 7.79 km (#6,786 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.242 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 12.91 |
| Orbital period | 4.37 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.67 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.22 – 3.13 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.171 |
| Inclination | 12.8° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.21 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called In
- (5779) Schupmann
- (6136) Gryphon
- (9106) Yatagarasu
- (10128) Bro
- (10132) Lummelunda
- (10285) Renemichelsen
- (10746) Muhlhausen
- (13147) Foglia
- (13647) Rey
- (17712) Fatherwilliam
- (17768) Tigerlily
- (21328) Otashi
All asteroids named after someone called In