(24712) Boltzmann Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 12 September 1991 by Borngen, F., Schmadel, L. D. at Tautenburg.
Austrian physicist Ludwig Boltzmann (1844-1906) confirmed Maxwellian electrodynamics experimentally in 1872 and is one of the founders of the kinetic theory of gases. He explained thermodynamics in terms of statistical mechanics and black-body radiation. The name was suggested by the first discoverer.Naming citation (20010804/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Boltzmann is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Boltzmann is 2.30 au from the Sun and 3.12 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 24712 |
| Provisional designation | 1991 RP3 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 2.27 km (#16,654 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.284 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.52 |
| Orbital period | 3.59 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.34 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.78 – 2.90 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.239 |
| Inclination | 4.92° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.779 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Ludwig
- (8055) Arnim
- (8056) Tieck
- (10955) Harig
- (17484) Ganghofer
- (24666) Miesvanrohe
- (25029) Ludwighesse
- (29185) Reich
- (48472) Mossbauer
- (73640) Biermann
- (243109) Hansludwig
All asteroids named after someone called Ludwig
Also discovered on 12 September 1991
- (6864) Starkenburg
- (9187) Walterkroll
- (9344) Klopstock
- (10782) Hittmair
- (21074) Rugen
- (21075) Heussinger
- (21076) Kokoschka
- (23490) Monikohl
- (24713) Ekrutt
- (27758) Michelson
- (46563) Oken
- (48456) Wilhelmwien