(12972) Eumaios Jupiter Trojan
Discovered on 19 September 1973 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.
Eumaios was the pig herder of Odysseus. When Odysseus returned to Ithaca, Eumaios helped him to conquer the suitors of Penelope.Naming citation (20000523/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Eumaios is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Eumaios is 5.92 au from the Sun and 6.92 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 12972 |
| Provisional designation | 1973 SF1 |
| Orbit class | Jupiter Trojan |
| Diameter | 23.0 km (#1,856 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0840 |
| Rotation period | 13.4 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 11.76 |
| Orbital period | 11.7 years |
| Semi-major axis | 5.15 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 4.38 – 5.93 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.151 |
| Inclination | 8.44° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 3.38 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 19 September 1973
- (2643) Bernhard
- (3290) Azabu
- (3548) Eurybates
- (4007) Euryalos
- (4068) Menestheus
- (4138) Kalchas
- (4230) van den Bergh
- (4387) Tanaka
- (4757) Liselotte
- (5041) Theotes
- (5928) Pindarus
- (7152) Euneus