(28408) van Baalen Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 2 October 1999 by LONEOS at Anderson Mesa.
Mark van Baalen (b. 1945) has served on the Lowell Observatory Advisory Board since its founding in 1987. His career in geological sciences and astronomy at Harvard University spanned over five decades. He is a founding member of the New Hampshire Geological Society and a Life Trustee of the Mount Washington Observatory.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 2, #11, 8), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where van Baalen is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: van Baalen is 2.69 au from the Sun and 2.13 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 28408 |
| Provisional designation | 1999 TS222 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 5.25 km (#10,142 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0840 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.54 |
| Orbital period | 4.61 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.77 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.67 – 2.87 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0363 |
| Inclination | 7.98° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.66 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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