(7720) Lepaute Outer Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 26 September 1960 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.
Named after Nicole-Reine Lepaute (1723-1788), extraordinarily talented French mathematician. The astronomers Lalande and Clairaut sought her help for the computations needed to predict the 1759 return of comet 1P/Halley. Lepaute's computations for the annular eclipse of 1764 were used throughout Europe. Unfortunately, years of calculation left her nearly blind.Naming citation (19980211/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Lepaute is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Lepaute is 3.40 au from the Sun and 3.75 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 7720 |
| Provisional designation | 4559 P-L |
| Orbit class | Outer Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.76 |
| Orbital period | 5.84 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.24 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.71 – 3.78 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.165 |
| Inclination | 0.626° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.70 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 26 September 1960
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