(20394) Fatou Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 28 June 1998 by P. G. Comba at Prescott.
Pierre Joseph Louis Fatou (1878-1929) was employed at the observatory of Paris all his working life, but his main interest was mathematics. He proved a fundamental theorem regarding Lebesgue integrals of sequences of functions.Naming citation (20010509/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Fatou is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Fatou is 2.85 au from the Sun and 2.22 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 20394 |
| Provisional designation | 1998 MQ17 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 10.4 km (#4,902 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0620 |
| Rotation period | 213 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.87 |
| Orbital period | 5.56 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.14 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.73 – 3.55 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.131 |
| Inclination | 6.67° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.74 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Pierre
- (2190) Coubertin
- (5439) Couturier
- (5442) Drossart
- (5523) Luminet
- (8190) Bouguer
- (10139) Ronsard
- (11401) Pierralba
- (11946) Bayle
- (12007) Fermat
- (12042) Laques
- (12324) Van Rompaey
- (12580) Antonini
All asteroids named after someone called Pierre
Also discovered on 28 June 1998
- (33319) Kunqu
- (40092) Memel
- (52767) Ophelestes
- (58931) Palmys
- (100934) Marthanussbaum
- (100940) Maunder
- (134419) Hippothous