(12244) Werfel Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 8 September 1988 by F. Borngen at Tautenburg.
Austrian author Franz Werfel (1890-1945) was a playwright who achieved international success as a novelist and essayist (Die vierzig Tage des Musa Dagh; Das Lied von Bernadette; Between heaven and earth). After his rejection by the Prussian Academy of Poetry, he fled to the U.S. in 1940.Naming citation (20000523/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Werfel is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Werfel is 2.86 au from the Sun and 1.97 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 12244 |
| Provisional designation | 1988 RY2 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.26 |
| Orbital period | 5.40 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.08 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.77 – 3.38 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0988 |
| Inclination | 9.00° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.77 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Franz
- (3412) Kafka
- (6212) Franzthaler
- (6807) Brunnow
- (10380) Berwald
- (12002) Suess
- (15282) Franzmarc
- (24916) Stelzhamer
- (27984) Herminefranz
- (30933) Grillparzer
- (65694) Franzrosenzweig
- (214911) Viehbock
- (278417) Kerschbaum
All asteroids named after someone called Franz
Also discovered on 8 September 1988
- (5004) Bruch
- (5119) Imbrius
- (5326) Vittoriosacco
- (5509) Rennsteig
- (6002) Eetion
- (6440) Ransome
- (6442) Salzburg
- (6824) Mallory
- (7280) Bergengruen
- (10740) Fallersleben
- (11485) Zinzendorf
- (11854) Ludwigrichter
More named asteroids discovered by F. Borngen
- (3181) Ahnert
- (3245) Jensch
- (3338) Richter
- (3539) Weimar
- (3540) Protesilaos
- (3802) Dornburg
- (3808) Tempel
- (3826) Handel
- (3917) Franz Schubert
- (3941) Haydn
- (3943) Silbermann
- (3954) Mendelssohn
← (12242) Koon · (12246) Pliska →