(10654) Bontekoe Outer Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 24 September 1960 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.
Willem Bontekoe (1587-1646) was a captain in the Dutch East India Company. However, he is not known because of his successful trips to the East, but because of the publication of his diary in 1646, with the memorable descriptions of his travels to the East Indies.Naming citation (20021120/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Bontekoe is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Bontekoe is 3.17 au from the Sun and 2.86 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 10654 |
| Provisional designation | 6673 P-L |
| Orbit class | Outer Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 14.2 km (#3,360 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0800 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 12.83 |
| Orbital period | 5.88 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.26 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 3.16 – 3.35 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0293 |
| Inclination | 22.0° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 2.19 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Willem
- (1964) Luyten
- (9686) Keesom
- (10436) Janwillempel
- (10652) Blaeu
- (10964) Degraaff
- (10984) Gispen
- (11240) Piso
- (11427) Willemkolff
- (12132) Wimfroger
- (12162) Bilderdijk
- (12175) Wimhermans
- (13045) Vermandere
All asteroids named after someone called Willem
Also discovered on 24 September 1960
- (1743) Schmidt
- (1744) Harriet
- (1776) Kuiper
- (1777) Gehrels
- (1795) Woltjer
- (1808) Bellerophon
- (1809) Prometheus
- (1810) Epimetheus
- (1811) Bruwer
- (1812) Gilgamesh
- (1846) Bengt
- (1868) Thersites