(90487) Witherspoon Outer Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 16 February 2004 by CSS at Catalina.
Tom Witherspoon Sr. (1921-2014) was a well known fossil educator in the Midwest U.S. Thousands of people, not just children, were introduced to the world of paleontology through his efforts and generosity. In 2007 he received the Charles H. Sternberg award for outstanding lifetime achievement in the field of paleontology.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2015-03-05), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Witherspoon is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Witherspoon is 3.27 au from the Sun and 3.80 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 90487 |
| Provisional designation | 2004 DW12 |
| Orbit class | Outer Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 7.32 km (#7,291 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0600 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.62 |
| Orbital period | 5.83 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.24 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 3.20 – 3.28 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0123 |
| Inclination | 21.4° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 2.21 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Tom
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All asteroids named after someone called Tom
Also discovered on 16 February 2004
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← (90482) Orcus · (90502) Buratti →