(177866) Barrau Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 28 August 2005 by M. Ory at Vicques.
Aurélien Barrau (b. 1973) is a French physicist and philosopher, specializing in astroparticle physics, black holes and cosmology. He is the director of the Grenoble Center for Theoretical Physics, works in the CNRS Laboratory for Subatomic Physics and Cosmology, and is a professor at the Université Grenoble Alpes. He has written many popular science books.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 4, #14, 7), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Barrau is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Barrau is 2.80 au from the Sun and 3.69 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 177866 |
| Provisional designation | 2005 QL28 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 3.78 km (#13,254 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0490 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 16.31 |
| Orbital period | 4.63 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.78 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.71 – 2.85 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0257 |
| Inclination | 3.55° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.69 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.