(8488) d'Argens Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 26 September 1989 by E. W. Elst at La Silla.
Jean-Baptiste de Boyer Marquis d´Argens (1703-1771) was a French writer and freethinker who spent 25 years at the court of Frederick II. There he wrote his 18-volume Correspondence philosophique, which helped spread the ideas of the Enlightenment.Naming citation (20021120/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where d'Argens is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: d'Argens is 2.12 au from the Sun and 1.53 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 8488 |
| Provisional designation | 1989 SR1 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.74 |
| Orbital period | 3.39 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.26 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.07 – 2.45 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0838 |
| Inclination | 4.61° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.05 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Baptiste
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All asteroids named after someone called Baptiste
Also discovered on 26 September 1989
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