(13897) Vesuvius Outer Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 29 September 1973 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.
Naples' Mount Vesuvius is the famous volcano that destroyed the cities Pompeii and Herculanum in 79 A.D. Large eruptions followed in 1631 and 1944.Naming citation (20040713/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Vesuvius is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Vesuvius is 3.74 au from the Sun and 4.53 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 13897 |
| Provisional designation | 4216 T-2 |
| Orbit class | Outer Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 15.4 km (#3,051 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0910 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 12.56 |
| Orbital period | 7.98 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.99 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 3.46 – 4.53 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.135 |
| Inclination | 9.24° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 2.45 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 29 September 1973
- (2049) Grietje
- (4357) Korinthos
- (4549) Burkhardt
- (4721) Atahualpa
- (4752) Myron
- (4876) Strabo
- (4978) Seitz
- (5151) Weerstra
- (5197) Rottmann
- (5243) Clasien
- (5244) Amphilochos
- (5266) Rauch