(14940) Freiligrath Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 4 March 1995 by F. Borngen at Tautenburg.
The German poet Ferdinand Freiligrath (1810-1876) pleaded in his poetry for democratic and social reforms and for liberty. Because he yearned for a national uprising, he was shadowed at times. At the end of his life, in Bismarck's time, he became a patriotic poet.Naming citation (20000726/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Freiligrath is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Freiligrath is 2.62 au from the Sun and 1.63 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 14940 |
| Provisional designation | 1995 EL8 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Rotation period | 3.82 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.76 |
| Orbital period | 4.15 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.58 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.48 – 2.68 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0394 |
| Inclination | 5.12° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.49 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Ferdinand
- (4662) Runk
- (6769) Brokoff
- (15071) Hallerstein
- (17486) Hodler
- (20174) Eisenstein
- (204370) Ferdinandvanek
- (423645) Quenisset
All asteroids named after someone called Ferdinand
Also discovered on 4 March 1995
- (10856) Bechstein
- (13149) Heisenberg
- (16705) Reinhardt
- (17597) Stefanzweig
- (65769) Mahalia
- (85320) Bertram