(12954) Hendrikcasimir Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 29 September 1973 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.
Hendrik Casimir (1909–2000) was a Dutch physicist who worked on topics in quantum mechanics and quantum electrodynamics. In 1948 he predicted the Casimir effect, an attractive force between two uncharged plates in a vacuum due to quantum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 5, #17, 17), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Hendrikcasimir is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Hendrikcasimir is 2.99 au from the Sun and 3.98 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 12954 |
| Provisional designation | 2040 T-2 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.44 km (#11,759 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.247 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.28 |
| Orbital period | 5.03 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.94 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.88 – 2.99 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0183 |
| Inclination | 7.29° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.89 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Hendrik
All asteroids named after someone called Hendrik
Also discovered on 29 September 1973
- (2049) Grietje
- (4357) Korinthos
- (4549) Burkhardt
- (4721) Atahualpa
- (4752) Myron
- (4876) Strabo
- (4978) Seitz
- (5151) Weerstra
- (5197) Rottmann
- (5243) Clasien
- (5244) Amphilochos
- (5266) Rauch