Discovery date 5 January 2000 Observation arc 22062 days (60.40 yr) Absolute magnitude 14.4 Discovery site Experimental Test Site MPC designation 23131 | Alternative names 2000 AS128 Discovered 5 January 2000 Orbits Sun Asteroid group Asteroid belt | |
Discovered by Lincoln Laboratory Near-Earth Asteroid Research Team Aphelion 2.6129881 AU (390.89746 Gm) Perihelion 1.8529876 AU (277.20300 Gm) Discoverer Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research | ||
23131 Debenedictis is a main belt asteroid with an orbital period of 3.34 years.
The asteroid was discovered on January 5, 2000 by the Lincoln Laboratory Near-Earth Asteroid Research Team in Socorro.
The citation on the naming of the asteroid states, "Erika Alden DeBenedictis (b. 1992) was awarded second place in the 2007 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for her computer science project. She attended the Saint Pius X High School, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A."
In 2008, she further became connected to asteroids when she attended the Summer Science Program, which teaches astronomy through a curriculum based on asteroid observations and orbital calculations. At the program in Socorro, NM, just a short distance from where the asteroid was discovered, she had the opportunity to observe her namesake.