(10069) Fontenelle Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 4 February 1989 by E. W. Elst at La Silla.
Named in memory of Bernard Le Bovier, sieur de Fontenelle (1657-1757), well-known for his famous work Entretiens sur la pluralité des mondes (1686). Many of the ideas of the Enlightenment appear in embryonic form in his works. In De l´origine des fables (1724), he compared pagan religion with established religion.Naming citation (19990728/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Fontenelle is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Fontenelle is 2.95 au from the Sun and 3.88 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 10069 |
| Provisional designation | 1989 CW2 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 12.3 km (#3,952 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.168 |
| Rotation period | 20.8 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 12.54 |
| Orbital period | 5.19 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.00 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.80 – 3.19 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0651 |
| Inclination | 9.04° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.80 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Bernard
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- (48960) Clouet
- (52703) Bernardleblanc
- (59211) Bernardfort
- (87933) Bernardschmitt
- (103733) Bernardharris
All asteroids named after someone called Bernard
Also discovered on 4 February 1989
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- (5124) Muraoka
- (5127) Bruhns
- (5400) Anniewalker
- (6125) Singto
- (6237) Chikushi
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- (9576) van der Weyden
- (9748) van Ostaijen
- (9941) Iguanodon
- (10068) Dodoens
- (15239) Stenhammar