(12294) Avogadro Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 2 August 1991 by E. W. Elst at La Silla.
Lorenzo Avogadro (1776-1856) was an Italian chemist who suggested that equal volumes of gases at the same temperature and pressure contain the same number of molecules. Almost completely ignored in his time, he is now honored with the term Avogadro's number, determined in 1865 by Loschmidt.Naming citation (20040306/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Avogadro is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Avogadro is 2.52 au from the Sun and 3.39 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 12294 |
| Provisional designation | 1991 PQ2 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.33 km (#11,988 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.103 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.96 |
| Orbital period | 3.65 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.37 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.09 – 2.65 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.119 |
| Inclination | 1.97° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.08 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Lorenzo
All asteroids named after someone called Lorenzo
Also discovered on 2 August 1991
- (8169) Mirabeau
- (9184) Vasilij
- (9341) Gracekelly
- (10780) Apollinaire
- (11289) Frescobaldi
- (11524) Pleyel
- (12295) Tasso
- (13525) Paulledoux
- (19175) Peterpiot
- (20010) Tomfrench
- (48451) Pichincha
- (90717) Flanders
More named asteroids discovered by E. W. Elst
- (3631) Sigyn
- (3784) Chopin
- (3870) Mayre
- (3903) Kliment Ohridski
- (3910) Liszt
- (3912) Troja
- (3918) Brel
- (4038) Kristina
- (4226) Damiaan
- (4342) Freud
- (4344) Buxtehude
- (4345) Rachmaninoff
← (12292) Dalton · (12295) Tasso →