26318

26318 is a minor planet located in the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It was discovered on October 15, 1998, by astronomers at the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) program, a collaborative project between NASA and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) aimed at identifying potentially hazardous asteroids and other near-Earth objects.

The asteroid belongs to the main belt’s Flora family, a group of rocky bodies thought to have originated from a collisional breakup of a larger parent body. Its provisional designation at discovery was 1998 SU166, later replaced by the permanent number 26318 upon confirmation of its orbit. The name has not yet been officially assigned, as the International Astronomical Union (IAU) naming conventions require further observation and documentation before a formal designation can be proposed.

26318 has an estimated diameter of approximately 2.5 kilometers, based on observations of its brightness and assumed albedo. Its orbit around the Sun takes about 4.6 years, with an average distance (semi-major axis) of roughly 2.7 astronomical units (AU), placing it within the inner region of the asteroid belt. The asteroid’s rotation period is not well-documented, but it is likely irregular, as many small asteroids exhibit non-spherical shapes and uneven surfaces.

Due to its size and distance from Earth, 26318 poses no known threat of collision with our planet. It remains an object of interest for astronomers studying the composition and dynamics of the asteroid belt, particularly those investigating the Flora family’s origins and evolutionary history. Observations of such bodies help scientists better understand the early solar system and the processes that shaped its rocky remnants.