(13641) de Lesseps Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 15 April 1996 by E. W. Elst at La Silla.
Jean-Baptiste de Lesseps (1766-1834), a French diplomat and writer, was a member of the scientific expedition of La Pérouse. Reaching the port of Avatcha (Kamchatka) on 1787 Sept. 30, he was transported over land by horses and sledges to get the reports of the voyage so far to Paris. This took him more than one year.Naming citation (20090209/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where de Lesseps is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: de Lesseps is 3.46 au from the Sun and 3.18 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 13641 |
| Provisional designation | 1996 GM20 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 10.3 km (#4,950 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0730 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.85 |
| Orbital period | 5.39 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.07 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.59 – 3.56 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.158 |
| Inclination | 0.824° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.58 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Baptiste
- (8488) d'Argens
- (8676) Lully
- (11051) Racine
- (13011) Loeillet
- (23777) Goursat
- (34846) Vincent
- (74025) Marquette
- (96178) Rochambeau
All asteroids named after someone called Baptiste
Also discovered on 15 April 1996
- (9663) Zwin
- (9795) Deprez
- (10183) Ampere
- (10374) Etampes
- (11332) Jameswatt
- (12444) Prothoon
- (14513) Alicelindner