(69870) Fizeau Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 20 September 1998 by E. W. Elst at La Silla.
French physicist Armand Hippolyte Louis Fizeau (1819–1896) improved photographic processes. In a laboratory experiment with Foucault in 1849, he made an independent determination of the speed of light. Using the phenomenon of light interference, he measured successfully the dilations of crystals.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 4, #4, 5), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Fizeau is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Fizeau is 2.80 au from the Sun and 1.82 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 69870 |
| Provisional designation | 1998 SM64 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 8.31 km (#6,302 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0460 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.85 |
| Orbital period | 5.57 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.14 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.23 – 4.06 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.290 |
| Inclination | 21.6° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.36 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Armand
All asteroids named after someone called Armand
Also discovered on 20 September 1998
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- (11385) Beauvoir
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- (13350) Gmelin
- (13351) Zibeline
- (13770) Commerson
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