(161715) Wenchuan Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 23 June 2006 by Ye, Q.-z., Yang, T.-C. at Lulin.
This minor planet is named in memory of the 90~000 people killed in the great Wenchuan earthquake on 2008 May 12.Naming citation (20080618/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Wenchuan is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Wenchuan is 2.22 au from the Sun and 2.78 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 161715 |
| Provisional designation | 2006 MZ12 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 16.21 |
| Orbital period | 4.08 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.55 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.15 – 2.96 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.159 |
| Inclination | 3.57° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.13 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.