(6798) Couperin Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 14 May 1993 by E. W. Elst at La Silla.
Named for the French family that produced a succession of musicians from the early seventeenth to the mid-nineteenth century. Louis Couperin (1626–1661) was born in Chaumes and was the first of the many Couperins to become organist at the church of St. Gervais in Paris. His style was characterized by an almost aggressive use of dissonance and of baroque ornamentation. His nephew, François Couperin (1668–1733), often known as “Le Grand”, is especially remembered for his keyboard pieces and for his somewhat ambiguous and obscure, theoretical work L'art de toucher le clavecin. François Couperin's chamber and church music is also very important, well-known examples being his two organ masses and the four volumes for the harpsichord. He was held in great esteem by J. S. Bach.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 4, #9, 4), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Couperin is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Couperin is 2.99 au from the Sun and 3.50 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 6798 |
| Provisional designation | 1993 JK1 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 12.77 |
| Orbital period | 5.04 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.94 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.64 – 3.24 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.102 |
| Inclination | 0.913° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.64 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 14 May 1993
- (6143) Pythagoras
- (6920) Esaki
- (6921) Janejacobs
- (8700) Gevaert
- (9626) Stanley
- (11082) Spilliaert
- (13109) Berzelius