(31268) Welty Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 16 March 1998 by I. P. Griffin at Cocoa.
Sandra Welty (b. 1969) is a high-school teacher of English at Kenwood High School, Baltimore County, Maryland. Over her career she has been an inspiring teacher for many students.Naming citation (20070601/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Welty is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Welty is 2.63 au from the Sun and 1.65 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 31268 |
| Provisional designation | 1998 FA |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.20 km (#12,284 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.364 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.97 |
| Orbital period | 4.29 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.64 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.31 – 2.97 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.126 |
| Inclination | 10.3° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.33 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Sandra
- (7377) Pizzarello
- (20537) Sandraderosa
- (20539) Gadberry
- (20585) Wentworth
- (28680) Sandralitvin
- (78453) Bullock
- (114612) Sandrasavaglio
- (283277) Faber
- (761081) Sandraeglite
All asteroids named after someone called Sandra