(20965) Kutafin Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 26 September 1978 by L. V. Zhuravleva at Nauchnyj.
Oleg Emel'yanovich Kutafin (b. 1937), rector of the Moscow State Academy of Law, is a prominent specialist in the field of constitutional law. He made a considerable contribution to the formation and development of legal bases in the new democratic Russia.Naming citation (20060613/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Kutafin is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Kutafin is 3.17 au from the Sun and 4.17 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 20965 |
| Provisional designation | 1978 SJ7 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 10.6 km (#4,760 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0820 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.85 |
| Orbital period | 5.01 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.93 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.52 – 3.33 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.139 |
| Inclination | 14.5° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.52 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Oleg
- (7108) Nefedov
- (7726) Olegbykov
- (14317) Antonov
- (15702) Olegkotov
- (18814) Ivanovsky
- (26795) Basilashvili
- (179595) Belkovich
- (278200) Olegpopov
- (305287) Olegyankov
- (542084) Olegverkhodanov
- (634539) Kuvaev
All asteroids named after someone called Oleg
Also discovered on 26 September 1978
- (2702) Batrakov
- (2771) Polzunov
- (2890) Vilyujsk
- (2978) Roudebush
- (3039) Yangel
- (3190) Aposhanskij
- (3410) Vereshchagin
- (3558) Shishkin
- (3586) Vasnetsov
- (3600) Archimedes
- (3655) Eupraksia
- (3657) Ermolova