(1964) Luyten Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 24 September 1960 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.
Named in honor of Willem Jacob Luyten, emeritus professor of astronomy at the University of Minnesota, well known for his investigations on stars with large proper motion.Naming citation (MPC 5038), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Luyten is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Luyten is 1.99 au from the Sun and 1.06 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 1964 |
| Provisional designation | 2007 P-L |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 8.38 km (#6,241 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.110 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.52 |
| Orbital period | 3.87 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.47 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.98 – 2.95 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.195 |
| Inclination | 2.39° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.992 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Willem
- (9686) Keesom
- (10436) Janwillempel
- (10652) Blaeu
- (10654) Bontekoe
- (10964) Degraaff
- (10984) Gispen
- (11240) Piso
- (11427) Willemkolff
- (12132) Wimfroger
- (12162) Bilderdijk
- (12175) Wimhermans
- (13045) Vermandere
All asteroids named after someone called Willem
Also discovered on 24 September 1960
- (1743) Schmidt
- (1744) Harriet
- (1776) Kuiper
- (1777) Gehrels
- (1795) Woltjer
- (1808) Bellerophon
- (1809) Prometheus
- (1810) Epimetheus
- (1811) Bruwer
- (1812) Gilgamesh
- (1846) Bengt
- (1868) Thersites