(17038) Wake Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 26 March 1999 by J. Broughton at Reedy Creek.
Born in New Zealand, Australian journalist Nancy Wake (b. 1912) joined the French Resistance during World War II, taking part in many risky sabotage raids and helping hundreds of people to escape capture.Naming citation (20010902/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Wake is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Wake is 2.70 au from the Sun and 1.80 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 17038 |
| Provisional designation | 1999 FO21 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.11 km (#12,479 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.316 |
| Rotation period | 17.7 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.23 |
| Orbital period | 4.24 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.62 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.40 – 2.84 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0843 |
| Inclination | 5.93° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.39 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Nancy
- (3397) Leyla
- (6510) Tarry
- (6899) Nancychabot
- (6911) Nancygreen
- (11067) Greenancy
- (13739) Nancyworden
- (13765) Nansmith
- (19809) Nancyowen
- (20311) Nancycarter
- (24063) Nanwoodward
- (26264) McIntyre
- (27915) Nancywright
All asteroids named after someone called Nancy