26858 Misterrogers

Misterrogers

Discovery
Discovered by	Eleanor Helin
Discovery date	March 21, 1993
Designations
Named after	Fred Rogers
Alternative names
Minor planet category	Main belt
Orbital characteristics
Epoch 53400 MJD
Aphelion	3.1483 AU
Perihelion	1.5334 AU
Semi-major axis	350.190Gm (2.341 AU)
Eccentricity	0.344945
Orbital period	1308.15 d (3.582a)
Inclination	21.908°
Longitude of ascending node	204.058°
Argument of perihelion	247.1°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	9.5km
Absolute magnitude (H)	12.629

26858 Misterrogers /ˌmɪstər ˈrɒdʒərz/ is a main-belt asteroid named after children's television host Fred Rogers. Rogers, who had a lifelong fascination with the sky and astronomy—he obtained a pilot's license while still in high school—also produced with the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh a planetarium show called The Sky above Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, which is still shown at many planetariums across the United States.

The International Astronomical Union citation reads as follows:

"Fred McFeely Rogers (1928–2003) was a tireless and passionate advocate for children who taught that everyone is unique and deserving of love and respect 'just the way you are'. For more than 30 years he used his public television program Mister Rogers' Neighborhood as a vehicle of service to the youngest members of the human family."

The naming was proposed, and citation prepared, by John G. Radzilowicz, Director of the Henry Buhl, Jr. Planetarium & Observatory at the Carnegie Science Center.