(201497) Marcelroche Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 2 May 2003 by Ferrin, I. R., Leal, C. at Merida.
Born in Caracas, Marcel Roche (1920-2003) conducted research in biomedicine and the management of science. He was first president of the National Council of Scientific Research (1969), a promoter of the National Observatory of Venezuela in Mérida and a winner of UNESCO's Kalinga prize for the popularization of science.Naming citation (20091202/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Marcelroche is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Marcelroche is 3.01 au from the Sun and 3.60 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 201497 |
| Provisional designation | 2003 JT17 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.49 km (#11,648 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0460 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.76 |
| Orbital period | 4.10 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.56 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.83 – 3.29 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.284 |
| Inclination | 12.4° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.857 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Marcel
- (10306) Pagnol
- (10403) Marcelgrun
- (12275) Marcelgoffin
- (22281) Popescu
- (23946) Marcelleroux
- (26883) Marcelproust
- (30307) Marcelriesz
- (31378) Neidinger
- (37044) Papymarcel
- (85183) Marcelayme
- (99262) Bleustein
- (135978) Agueros
All asteroids named after someone called Marcel