172180

172180 is the numerical designation of a minor planet in the solar system. In the designation system used by the Minor Planet Center, numbers are assigned to objects once their orbits are well determined, which allows the object to be uniquely identified even if it lacks a formal name. Many numbered minor planets remain unnamed.

Details about 172180, including its orbital elements and physical characteristics, are maintained in public catalogs such as the Minor Planet Center database and the JPL Small-Body Database. Such entries typically list its orbital class (commonly a main-belt asteroid), semi-major axis, eccentricity, inclination, orbital period, absolute magnitude (H), and, when available, estimates of diameter or albedo. The information is used to track the object, predict its future positions, and study the overall distribution and properties of small bodies in the solar system.

Discovery and naming: The discovery of 172180 would have been recorded by the observing team and facility responsible for its first observation, along with the date and provisional designation assigned at that time. After an object's orbit is confirmed, it receives a permanent number; later the discoverers may propose a name subject to approval by the International Astronomical Union.

Significance: As a numbered minor planet, 172180 is part of a large catalog that aids statistical studies of asteroid populations and solar-system evolution. There is no widely known cultural or scientific attribution specific to this particular object in public summaries.