12851287

12851287 is the provisional designation of a minor planet in the main asteroid belt. The object was discovered on 15 March 2011 by the Mount Lemmon Survey, a project operated by the University of Arizona and the Catalina Sky Survey. The discovery took place at the Mount Lemmon Observatory in Arizona, United States. The orbit of 12851287 places it in the outer part of the main belt, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It has a semi-major axis of approximately 3.1 astronomical units, an eccentricity of 0.12, and an inclination of 5.4 degrees relative to the ecliptic plane.

Preliminary observations indicate a rotational period of roughly 6.5 hours and a diameter estimated around 6 kilometers, assuming an albedo of 0.04 typical for C-type asteroids. Spectroscopic analysis suggests a carbonaceous composition, which is common among bodies in this region. The minor planet does not have any known close encounters with terrestrial planets and its orbit is considered dynamically stable. As of the latest data release, no additional physical measurements, such as precise mass or definitive compositional classification beyond the spectral proxy, have been published. The minor planet continues to be monitored by several automated sky surveys to refine its orbital elements and to search for potential satellites or irregularities in its trajectory.