(10541) Malesherbes Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 31 December 1991 by E. W. Elst at Haute Provence.
Chrétien-Guillaume de Malesherbes (1721-1794) was a botanist and a French statesman. As chancellor he controlled the press, yet without his secret support the Encyclopédie, representing the thought of the Enlightenment, may never have been published. He was guillotined for his defense of King Louis XVI.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2014-07-12), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Malesherbes is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Malesherbes is 2.38 au from the Sun and 3.18 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 10541 |
| Provisional designation | 1991 YX |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.39 km (#11,863 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.175 |
| Rotation period | 20.2 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.51 |
| Orbital period | 3.43 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.28 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.91 – 2.64 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.160 |
| Inclination | 5.79° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.929 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Guillaume
All asteroids named after someone called Guillaume