(20461) Dioretsa Centaur
Discovered on 8 June 1999 by LINEAR at Socorro.
As befits the first numbered asteroid in a retrograde orbit, Dioretsa is the word asteroid spelled backwards. The name was suggested independently by K. Kitterman and S. Cooksey of Flagstaff, Arizona.Naming citation (20030501/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Dioretsa is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Dioretsa is 36.2 au from the Sun and 35.3 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 20461 |
| Provisional designation | 1999 LD31 |
| Orbit class | Centaur |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.92 |
| Orbital period | 116 years |
| Semi-major axis | 23.8 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.38 – 45.2 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.900 |
| Inclination | 160° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.47 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.