(13580) de Saussure Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 20 July 1993 by E. W. Elst at La Silla.
Swiss aristocrat and physicist Horace-Bénedict de Saussure (1770-1799) made several journeys through the Swiss Alps, directing his attention to its botany, mineralogy, geology and topography of the snowy mountains. This naming also honors the linguist Ferdinand de Saussure (1857-1913).Naming citation (20100923/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where de Saussure is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: de Saussure is 2.33 au from the Sun and 2.04 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 13580 |
| Provisional designation | 1993 OQ5 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 6.44 km (#8,327 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.107 |
| Rotation period | 12.3 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.36 |
| Orbital period | 4.72 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.81 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.16 – 3.46 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.231 |
| Inclination | 5.82° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.17 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 20 July 1993
- (6977) Jaucourt
- (7478) Hasse
- (8096) Emilezola
- (8190) Bouguer
- (8191) Mersenne
- (9376) Thionville
- (10136) Gauguin
- (11571) Daens
- (11943) Davidhartley
- (11944) Shaftesbury
- (12352) Jepejacobsen
- (12353) Marquez