(12279) Laon Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 16 November 1990 by E. W. Elst at La Silla.
Laon is the capital of the Aisne department in northern France. The city is built on a 181-m hill and is famous for its impressive cathedral (1160-1230). In honor of the animals that carried the stones for its construction, sculptures of oxen and horses are mounted on the towers.Naming citation (20031110/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Laon is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Laon is 2.98 au from the Sun and 2.10 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 12279 |
| Provisional designation | 1990 WP4 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 7.93 km (#6,655 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.281 |
| Rotation period | 5.60 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 12.75 |
| Orbital period | 4.61 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.77 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.51 – 3.03 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0940 |
| Inclination | 10.3° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.52 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.