298 Baptistina

Baptistina (minor planet designation: 298 Baptistina) is an asteroid orbiting in the asteroid belt. It is the namesake of the Baptistina family. It was discovered on 9 September 1890 by Auguste Charlois of Nice. The source of its name is unknown. It measures about in diameter. Although it has an orbit similar to the Flora family asteroids, Baptistina is an unrelated interloper. It was once considered a possible source of the impactor that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs, a possibility ruled out by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) in 2011. "(See Baptistina family.)"