(12131) Echternach Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 24 September 1960 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.
As assistant editor of the Dutch astronomical magazine Zenit, Dutch science writer Eddy Echternach (b. 1961) has been popularizing astronomy since the late 1980s. He is co-author of numerous books on astronomy and astronomical exercises for use in primary and high schools. The name was suggested by C. E. Koppeschaar.Naming citation (20070926/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Echternach is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Echternach is 2.83 au from the Sun and 3.39 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 12131 |
| Provisional designation | 2085 P-L |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.59 |
| Orbital period | 4.96 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.91 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.83 – 2.99 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0274 |
| Inclination | 1.00° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.84 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 24 September 1960
- (1743) Schmidt
- (1744) Harriet
- (1776) Kuiper
- (1777) Gehrels
- (1795) Woltjer
- (1808) Bellerophon
- (1809) Prometheus
- (1810) Epimetheus
- (1811) Bruwer
- (1812) Gilgamesh
- (1846) Bengt
- (1868) Thersites