(10253) Westerwald Main-belt Asteroid

Discovered on 29 September 1973 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.

North of the Lahn river lies the Westerwald, a low mountain range with some volcanoes, blending into the “Siebengebirge”, a range of seven extinct volcanic mountains.Naming citation (20030614/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL

Where Westerwald is today

MercuryVenusEarthEarthMarsMarsWesterwaldWesterwald

Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Westerwald is 1.95 au from the Sun and 2.18 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.

Facts

Number10253
Provisional designation2116 T-2
Orbit classMain-belt Asteroid
Diameter2.27 km (#16,659 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size)
Albedo0.313
Absolute magnitude (H)15.29
Orbital period3.48 years
Semi-major axis2.30 au
Perihelion – aphelion1.95 – 2.64 au
Eccentricity0.150
Inclination0.378°
Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID)0.969 au

Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.

Also discovered on 29 September 1973

More named asteroids discovered by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T.