Discovered by Bert L. Stevens Alternative names 2003 OK Discovered 19 July 2003 Discoverer Berton L. Stevens MPC designation 128065 | Discovery date 19 July 2003 Observation arc 6406 days (17.54 yr) Absolute magnitude 15 Asteroid group Asteroid belt | |
Discovery site Desert Moon Observatory Aphelion 3.3840301 AU (506.24370 Gm) People also search for 111558 Barrett, 89903 Post | ||
128065 Bartbenjamin (2003 OK) is a main-belt asteroid discovered on July 19, 2003 by Bert L. Stevens at Desert Moon Observatory. It is probably between 1.9 and 2.6 kilometers (1.2 to 1.6 miles) in size, irregularly shaped, and made of carbon-based rock. In March 2008, it was renamed in honor of Bart Benjamin, Director of the Cernan Earth and Space Center of Triton College in River Grove, Illinois, former curator at the Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences in Peoria, Illinois, and longstanding member of the Peoria Astronomical Society.
Citation from the Minor Planet Circular
After joining the Peoria (Illinois) Astronomical Society, Bart Benjamin (b. 1958) became a curator at the Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences in Peoria, making astronomy exciting for the public. He eventually became director of the Cernan Earth and Space Center at Triton College in west suburban Chicago. †.