(4958) Wellnitz Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 13 July 1991 by H. E. Holt at Palomar.
Named in honor of Dennis D. Wellnitz (b. 1951), University of Maryland instrument builder, observer, data analyst and all-around physicist. Wellnitz has designed and developed a wide variety of astronomical instrumentation, and he has participated in many major observational programs, including occultations by minor planets and comets and the 1994 cometary collision with Jupiter. His work with the NEAR mission has resulted in improved signal-to-noise spectra from the near-infrared spectrometer, contributing to the mineralogical analysis of the surface of (433) Eros. Wellnitz' thorough, detailed studies and his great patience are particularly appreciated by his colleagues. Name proposed by J. Veverka, based on a suggestion by L. A. McFadden. Citation by McFadden and M. F. A'Hearn.Naming citation (19990728/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Wellnitz is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Wellnitz is 3.12 au from the Sun and 4.02 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 4958 |
| Provisional designation | 1991 NT1 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 16.4 km (#2,814 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.182 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 11.69 |
| Orbital period | 5.22 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.01 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.78 – 3.24 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0756 |
| Inclination | 9.10° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.80 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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