(49700) Mather Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 1 November 1999 by Elst, E. W., Ipatov, S. I. at Uccle.
U.S. cosmologist John Mather (b. 1946) led the team that constructed the Cosmic Background Explorer Satellite and was a co-recipient of the 2006 Nobel prize in physics for his role in mapping microwave radiation and understanding the early universe. He is also senior project scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope.Naming citation (20061109/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Mather is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Mather is 2.13 au from the Sun and 3.11 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 49700 |
| Provisional designation | 1999 VN1 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 2.07 km (#16,964 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.286 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.51 |
| Orbital period | 3.20 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.17 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.04 – 2.30 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0590 |
| Inclination | 3.62° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.03 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called John
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- (5362) Johnyoung
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- (5558) Johnnapier
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