(20061) Bilitza Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 16 August 1993 by E. W. Elst at Caussols.
Dieter Bilitza (b. 1950) is a German-born American physicist and a principal author of the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI), a widely-used standard for Earth’s ionospheric plasma. He has organized annual IRI meetings, bringing together ground and space-based communities. Dieter is the recipient of the 2024 COSPAR International Cooperation Medal.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 4, #10, 16), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Bilitza is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Bilitza is 2.60 au from the Sun and 2.47 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 20061 |
| Provisional designation | 1993 QS1 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.29 |
| Orbital period | 3.20 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.17 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.74 – 2.61 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.200 |
| Inclination | 1.80° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.719 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Dieter
- (6163) Reimers
- (11508) Stolte
- (39930) Kalauch
- (103460) Dieterherrmann
- (152320) Lichtenknecker
- (211343) Dieterhusar
- (554766) Dieterkasan
All asteroids named after someone called Dieter