(11696) Capen Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 22 March 1998 by LONEOS at Anderson Mesa.
Charles (“Chick”) Franklin Capen (1926-1986) was best known for his observations of the planets, particularly Mars. He worked at the Lowell Observatory for many years as an observer and tour guide.Naming citation (20010109/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Capen is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Capen is 2.32 au from the Sun and 1.84 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 11696 |
| Provisional designation | 1998 FD74 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Rotation period | 5.53 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.38 |
| Orbital period | 3.27 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.21 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.89 – 2.52 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.144 |
| Inclination | 3.50° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.890 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Franklin
All asteroids named after someone called Franklin
Also discovered on 22 March 1998
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- (9122) Hunten
- (11695) Mattei
- (11704) Gorin
- (12079) Kaibab
- (12084) Unno
- (12496) Ekholm
- (13234) Natashaowen
- (15970) Robertbrownlee
- (17776) Troska
- (17822) Tonireland
- (20315) Dotson