(13962) Delambre Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 3 August 1991 by E. W. Elst at La Silla.
French astronomer Jean Baptiste Joseph Delambre (1749-1822) observed the 1796 transit of Mercury, although his colleagues had given up the task due to cloudy weather. In June 1792 he started the measurement of the Dunkerque-Rodez sector of the meridian to Barcelona using triangulation points around Paris.Naming citation (20051215/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Delambre is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Delambre is 2.65 au from the Sun and 1.87 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 13962 |
| Provisional designation | 1991 PO4 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 12.1 km (#4,057 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0790 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.19 |
| Orbital period | 5.70 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.19 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.61 – 3.77 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.181 |
| Inclination | 2.07° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.62 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Jean
- (2221) Chilton
- (2267) Agassiz
- (3821) Sonet
- (8116) Jeanperrin
- (8604) Vanier
- (9138) Murdoch
- (9968) Serpe
- (10111) Fresnel
- (10215) Lavilledemirmont
- (10440) van Swinden
- (12286) Poiseuille
- (12498) Dragesco
All asteroids named after someone called Jean
Also discovered on 3 August 1991
- (5522) De Rop
- (9859) Van Lierde
- (10334) Gibbon
- (13526) Libbrecht
- (13963) Euphrates
- (13964) La Billardiere
- (15745) Yuliya