(127664) Denza Outer Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 25 February 2003 by F. Bernardi M. Tombelli at Campo Imperatore.
Francesco Maria Denza (1834–1894) was an Italian priest of the Barnabite order. He was a meteorologist and astronomer, and was the first director of the Vatican Observatory. Denza represented the pope at the 1887 Paris Astronomical Congress, where the Carte du Ciel project was initiated. The Vatican Observatory was assigned the +55°–+64° declination zone.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 6, #16, 5), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Denza is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Denza is 3.17 au from the Sun and 4.12 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 127664 |
| Provisional designation | 2003 DV14 |
| Orbit class | Outer Main-belt Asteroid |
| Rotation period | 5.35 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.84 |
| Orbital period | 5.80 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.23 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.81 – 3.65 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.129 |
| Inclination | 0.975° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.80 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Francesco
- (6892) Lana
- (7640) Marzari
- (7918) Berrilli
- (8266) Bertelli
- (9934) Caccioppoli
- (10875) Veracini
- (12722) Petrarca
- (15460) Manca
- (18102) Angrilli
- (18583) Francescopedani
- (20103) de Vico
- (20353) Gianotto
All asteroids named after someone called Francesco