(12942) van der Marel Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 24 September 1960 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.
Nienke van der Marel (b. 1986) is a Dutch astronomer, specializing in the study of planetary formation and protoplanetary disks. She has been active in outreach and communication since her student days.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 5, #17, 15), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where van der Marel is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: van der Marel is 2.53 au from the Sun and 1.53 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 12942 |
| Provisional designation | 6054 P-L |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.51 |
| Orbital period | 5.51 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.12 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.52 – 3.72 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.191 |
| Inclination | 3.85° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.53 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 24 September 1960
- (1743) Schmidt
- (1744) Harriet
- (1776) Kuiper
- (1777) Gehrels
- (1795) Woltjer
- (1808) Bellerophon
- (1809) Prometheus
- (1810) Epimetheus
- (1811) Bruwer
- (1812) Gilgamesh
- (1846) Bengt
- (1868) Thersites