28304

28304 is a numbered minor planet located in the inner region of the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The object was first observed on 15 April 1997 by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) program at the Socorro observatory in New Mexico. It received the provisional designation 1997 EQ_19 before its orbit was fully determined and it was formally numbered 28304 by the Minor Planet Center. The asteroid belongs to the background population of the belt and is not currently associated with any known collisional family. Its orbit has a semi‑major axis of approximately 2.35 astronomical units, an eccentricity of about 0.15 and an inclination of roughly 6 degrees, giving it a typical orbital period of 3.6 years around the Sun. Photometric observations indicate a rotation period near 12 hours, although its shape and pole orientation remain uncertain. The albedo is estimated to be around 0.15 based on infrared measurements from the WISE mission, suggesting a stony S‑type composition common among inner-belt asteroids. Despite its well‑determined orbit, 28304 has not yet received a formal name and is usually referred to by its numerical designation in scientific literature.