(7687) Matthias 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 Matthias Busch (b. 1968), amateur astronomer at the Starkenburg Observatory in Heppenheim who has made a substantial contribution to the astrometry of minor planets. He is an ardent follow-up observer of near-Earth objects and a keen developer of astronomical software. Name proposed by L. D. Schmadel.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 5, #28, 6), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
👶 Matthias as a baby name🐶 Matthias as a dog name
Where Matthias is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Matthias is 2.11 au from the Sun and 2.39 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 7687 |
| Provisional designation | 2099 P-L |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 3.49 km (#14,000 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.333 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.3 |
| Orbital period | 3.42 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.27 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.01 – 2.53 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.116 |
| Inclination | 5.79° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.01 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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