(11967) Boyle Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 12 August 1994 by E. W. Elst at La Silla.
Robert Boyle (1627-1691) was a British physicist and philosopher well known for his experiments with gases, leading to the discovery that the volume of a gas is inversely proportional to its pressure. In 1661 he developed the concept of primary particles (the critical chymist).Naming citation (20030501/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Boyle is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Boyle is 2.81 au from the Sun and 1.87 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 11967 |
| Provisional designation | 1994 PW20 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.76 km (#11,097 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.341 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.75 |
| Orbital period | 4.54 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.74 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.67 – 2.81 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0255 |
| Inclination | 3.91° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.67 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Robert
- (1955) McMath
- (3514) Hooke
- (3875) Staehle
- (4564) Clayton
- (4809) Robertball
- (5109) Robertmiller
- (5308) Hutchison
- (5477) Holmes
- (5585) Parks
- (5636) Jacobson
- (5739) Robertburns
- (5817) Robertfrazer
All asteroids named after someone called Robert
Also discovered on 12 August 1994
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- (8550) Hesiodos
- (9640) Lippens
- (9641) Demaziere
- (9778) Isabelallende
- (9879) Mammuthus
- (9880) Stegosaurus
- (10151) Rubens
- (10361) Bunsen
- (10841) Ericforbes
- (11095) Havana
- (11583) Breuer