21785 Méchain
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Milos Tichý |
| Discovery date | at Kleť Observatory on 21 September 1999 |
| Designations | |
Named after | Pierre Méchain |
| main belt | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 2010-Sep-30 (JD 2456200.5) | |
| Aphelion | 3.2498331 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.3078127 AU |
| 2.7788229 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1694999 |
| 4.63 a (1691.95 d) | |
| 278.43189° | |
| Inclination | 18.63591° |
| 23.04360° | |
| 358.64671° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 14.8 | |
21785 Méchain is a main belt asteroid with an orbital period of 1691.95 days (4.63 a).[2]
The asteroid was discovered by Milos Tichý at Kleť Observatory on 21 September 1999, and provisionally designated as 1999 SS2.
On 24 June 2002, It was named in honor of a French astronomer and surveyor Pierre Méchain who with Charles Messier, was a major contributor to the early study of deep sky objects and comets.
References
- ↑ "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 21785 Méchain". Retrieved 2012-11-27.
- ↑ "JPL Small-Body Database Browser". NASA. Retrieved 2012-11-27.
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