(44217) Whittle Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 12 August 1998 by J. Broughton at Reedy Creek.
British aeronautical engineer and pilot Frank Whittle (1907-1996) was the inventor of the turbo-jet engine, which he first patented in 1930. Such an ingenious yet simple method of high-speed propulsion made flight an affordable and relatively safe form of travel for the masses.Naming citation (20060219/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Whittle is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Whittle is 2.72 au from the Sun and 3.68 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 44217 |
| Provisional designation | 1998 PO1 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 8.04 km (#6,542 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.172 |
| Rotation period | 9.70 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.06 |
| Orbital period | 4.14 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.58 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.41 – 2.75 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0646 |
| Inclination | 13.7° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.44 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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