(20448) Kathrinaltwegg Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 12 May 1999 by LINEAR at Socorro.
Kathrin Altwegg (b. 1951) is a Swiss planetary scientist and professor emerita at the University of Bern, renowned for leading the ROSINA instrument on ESA’s Rosetta mission. Her pioneering work on comet 67P transformed our understanding of the chemical complexity of pristine Solar System matter, inspiring a new generation of scientists.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 6, #11, 21), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Kathrinaltwegg is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Kathrinaltwegg is 3.02 au from the Sun and 3.97 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 20448 |
| Provisional designation | 1999 JM96 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.01 |
| Orbital period | 4.01 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.52 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.97 – 3.08 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.221 |
| Inclination | 14.7° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.01 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 12 May 1999
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