(12718) Le Gentil Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 6 June 1991 by E. W. Elst at La Silla.
Guillaume-Joseph Le Gentil (1725-1792) was a French astronomer who discovered several deep-sky objects. He traveled to India to observe the transits of Venus in 1761 and 1769. After his return to France in 1771, he published the Voyage dans les Mers de l´Inde, which contains a wealth of data on natural sciences.Naming citation (20041126/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Le Gentil is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Le Gentil is 1.96 au from the Sun and 1.10 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 12718 |
| Provisional designation | 1991 LF1 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 3.64 km (#13,613 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.254 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.57 |
| Orbital period | 3.42 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.27 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.88 – 2.66 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.173 |
| Inclination | 4.54° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.880 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Joseph
- (2157) Ashbrook
- (4225) Hobart
- (5034) Joeharrington
- (5577) Priestley
- (5883) Josephblack
- (6540) Stepling
- (6743) Liu
- (7656) Joemontani
- (8023) Josephwalker
- (8255) Masiero
- (8661) Ratzinger
- (8794) Joepatterson
All asteroids named after someone called Joseph
Also discovered on 6 June 1991
- (5337) Aoki
- (8856) Celastrus
- (9340) Williamholden
- (11056) Volland
- (11900) Spinoy
- (12291) Gohnaumann
- (12292) Dalton
- (12719) Pingre
- (13523) Vanhassel
- (15742) Laurabassi
- (21064) Yangliwei
- (85185) Lederman
More named asteroids discovered by E. W. Elst
- (3631) Sigyn
- (3784) Chopin
- (3870) Mayre
- (3903) Kliment Ohridski
- (3910) Liszt
- (3912) Troja
- (3918) Brel
- (4038) Kristina
- (4226) Damiaan
- (4342) Freud
- (4344) Buxtehude
- (4345) Rachmaninoff
← (12716) Delft · (12719) Pingre →