(17942) Whiterabbit Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 11 May 1999 by Shimizu, Y., Urata, T. at Nachi-Katsuura.
The White Rabbit appears in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. When Alice hears the Rabbit (who, of course, has pink eyes) talking to itself, she follows it down a huge rabbit-hole under a hedge, and her adventures begin. The name was suggested by T. Urata, and the citation was prepared by R. E. Asher.Naming citation (20010309/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Whiterabbit is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Whiterabbit is 2.63 au from the Sun and 1.68 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 17942 |
| Provisional designation | 1999 JG6 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 2.81 km (#15,645 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.218 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.76 |
| Orbital period | 3.69 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.39 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.10 – 2.67 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.119 |
| Inclination | 4.54° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.10 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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