(87644) Cathomen Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 8 September 2000 by S. Sposetti at Gnosca.
Rita Cathomen (b. 1940) and her husband Ignaz (b. 1934) live in Falera, Switzerland. In 1979, they learned about a possible megalithic menhir formation in Falera. After re-erecting 33 of 34 fallen menhirs, Ignaz provided guided tours during the summer until 2019.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 1, #5, 11), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Cathomen is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Cathomen is 2.25 au from the Sun and 1.27 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 87644 |
| Provisional designation | 2000 RJ77 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.84 km (#10,925 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0830 |
| Rotation period | 10.7 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.51 |
| Orbital period | 4.32 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.65 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.09 – 3.22 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.213 |
| Inclination | 12.2° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.11 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Rita
- (8640) Ritaschulz
- (9722) Levi-Montalcini
- (15145) Ritageorge
- (52426) Ritaalessandro
- (84417) Ritabo
- (181136) Losonczrita
All asteroids named after someone called Rita