(10278) Virkki Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 2 March 1981 by S. J. Bus at Siding Spring.
Anne Virkki (b. 1988) is a postdoctoral scholar at the Arecibo Observatory who studies near-Earth asteroids, specializing in understanding the properties of asteroid surfaces and regolith using radar scattering measurements.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2017-03-12), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Virkki is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Virkki is 1.84 au from the Sun and 1.78 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 10278 |
| Provisional designation | 1981 EW30 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 2.65 km (#15,963 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.230 |
| Rotation period | 120 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.21 |
| Orbital period | 3.17 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.16 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.78 – 2.53 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.174 |
| Inclination | 0.931° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.774 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Anne
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All asteroids named after someone called Anne
Also discovered on 2 March 1981
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