(16444) Godefroy Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 3 April 1989 by E. W. Elst at La Silla.
Godefroy Wendelin (Godefried van der Lijn, 1580-1660) was a Belgian canon of the Liège episcopacy and an astronomer who erected the first astronomical observatory at the Signal de Lure near Mont Ventoux in Provence. The name was suggested by F. M. van der Mersch.Naming citation (20091202/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Godefroy is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Godefroy is 2.41 au from the Sun and 2.98 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 16444 |
| Provisional designation | 1989 GW1 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 3.34 km (#14,361 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.250 |
| Rotation period | 6.14 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.3 |
| Orbital period | 3.34 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.23 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.82 – 2.65 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.187 |
| Inclination | 5.43° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.820 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 3 April 1989
- (5350) Epetersen
- (6006) Anaximandros
- (6152) Empedocles
- (6710) Apostel
- (7014) Nietzsche
- (7933) Magritte
- (8010) Bohnhardt
- (8353) Megryan
- (9325) Stonehenge
- (9578) Klyazma
- (9579) Passchendaele
- (9749) Van den Eijnde