(21564) Widmanstatten Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 26 August 1998 by E. W. Elst at La Silla.
Count Alois von Widmanstätten (1754-1849) was an Austrian chemist who discovered typical patterns by acid etching iron meteorites. These unique Widmanstätten patterns can be used to determine if a piece of iron is in fact a meteorite.Naming citation (20070402/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Widmanstatten is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Widmanstatten is 2.72 au from the Sun and 2.32 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 21564 |
| Provisional designation | 1998 QQ101 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 18.3 km (#2,452 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0580 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 12.7 |
| Orbital period | 5.45 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.10 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.54 – 3.66 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.181 |
| Inclination | 16.8° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.55 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 26 August 1998
- (10637) Heimlich
- (12893) Mommert
- (12895) Balbastre
- (12896) Geoffroy
- (13293) Mechelen
- (21553) Monchicourt
- (22692) Carfrekahl
- (22694) Tyndall
- (25029) Ludwighesse
- (28078) Mauricehilleman