(688696) Bertiau Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 13 November 2012 by R. P. Boyle K. Äernis at Mount Graham.
Florent Constant Bertiau (1919–1995) was a Belgian Jesuit who worked at the Vatican Observatory. He founded its Data Center in 1965, pioneered computerized data analysis, and led vital research on artificial sky pollution and stellar distributions in our galaxy.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 6, #6, 12), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Bertiau is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Bertiau is 3.46 au from the Sun and 3.23 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 688696 |
| Provisional designation | 2012 VH143 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 17.59 |
| Orbital period | 5.45 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.10 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.73 – 3.46 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.117 |
| Inclination | 3.17° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.75 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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