Florence

3122 Florence is a stony triple asteroid of the Amor group. It is classified as a near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid. It measures approximately 5 kilometers in diameter. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.0–2.5 AU once every 2 years and 4 months (859 days); the orbit has an eccentricity of 0.42 and an inclination of 22° with respect to the ecliptic. Florence has two moons. Florence was discovered on 2 March 1981 by American astronomer Schelte J. "Bobby" Bus at Siding Spring Observatory. Its provisional designation was 1981 ET3. It was named in honor of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing; the naming citation was published on 6 April 1993 (M.P.C. 21955). Florence is classified as a potentially hazardous object because its minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID ≤ 0.05 AU) indicates that it has the potential to make close approaches to the Earth, and because measurements of its absolute magnitude (H ≤ 22) suggest that it is large enough to create serious damage were it to impact.