(12272) Geddylee
Minor planet number 12272 has been named in honor of Geddy Lee, vocalist with Rush.The citation announcing the naming appeared on Minor Planet Circular 60298 (issued on 2007 July 30), from which the following is extracted with permission:
(12272) Geddylee = 1990 SZ3
Discovered 1990 Sept. 22 by B. Roman at Palomar.
Geddy Lee (Gary Lee Weinrib, b. 1953) is the bassist, vocalist and
keyboardist for the Canadian band Rush. Geddy is the son of Polish
concentration-camp survivors. He has become one of the most influential bass
guitarists in rock music, and his voice is one of the most distinctive
attributes of the band.
Read about how minor planets are named.
About (12272) Geddylee
(12272) Geddylee is in a 4.35-year elliptical orbit around the sun ranging in distance from 329.4 million km (at perihelion, closest point to the sun) to 468.2 million km (at aphelion, furthest point from the sun).The previous perihelion passage occurred on 2008 May 12.6 UT.
The orbit is inclined by 11.7 degrees to the ecliptic plane (the plane of the earth's orbit about the sun).
There is little information on the physical properties of (12272) Geddylee. Even its diameter is uncertain--a range of 6 to 14 km is probable.
You will need a telescope to see this minor planet as its maximum brightness is some 1/4849 of the brightness of the faintest objects that can be seen with the unaided eye.
The diagram below show the orbit of (12272) Geddylee in relation to the major planets in the inner solar system.
This view of the inner solar system is seen from the north ecliptic pole. The sun is the yellow star at the center of the image. The blue orbits represent, in increasing distance from the center, the major planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars and Jupiter. The position of each major planet at the date indicated at the bottom of the plot is shown by the large circled cross. The orbit of the minor planet is shown in red, with the location of the minor planet (at the date indicated at the bottom of the plot) shown as a white circled cross. From this vantage point the planets revolve around the sun in a counter clockwise direction. The vernal equinox is off to the right. The portion of the minor planet's orbit that is below the plane of the earth's orbit is shaded grey. The perihelion point of the minor planet's orbit is at the end of the white straight line through the sun indicated by "P".
Also available is information on provisional designations.
Where is (12272) Geddylee tonight? Customisable ephemerides are available.
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