(12940) Gijsnelemans Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 24 September 1960 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.
Gijs Nelemans (b. 1971) is a Dutch astronomer, specializing in the study of white dwarfs and gravitational waves. He is the great-grandson of Dutch astronomer Anton Pannekoek.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 5, #17, 15), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Gijsnelemans is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Gijsnelemans is 2.07 au from the Sun and 2.59 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 12940 |
| Provisional designation | 4588 P-L |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.34 |
| Orbital period | 3.51 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.31 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.90 – 2.72 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.177 |
| Inclination | 5.68° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.894 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Gijs
All asteroids named after someone called Gijs
Also discovered on 24 September 1960
- (1743) Schmidt
- (1744) Harriet
- (1776) Kuiper
- (1777) Gehrels
- (1795) Woltjer
- (1808) Bellerophon
- (1809) Prometheus
- (1810) Epimetheus
- (1811) Bruwer
- (1812) Gilgamesh
- (1846) Bengt
- (1868) Thersites