(12760) Maxwell Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 9 October 1993 by E. W. Elst at La Silla.
James Maxwell (1831-1879) was a Scottish mathematician and physicist, working in the discipline of electromagnetism. In A treatise on Electricity and Magnetism (1873), the Maxwell equations appear for the first time. He suggested that the rings of Saturn are composed of small individual particles.Naming citation (20041126/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
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Where Maxwell is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Maxwell is 3.16 au from the Sun and 3.04 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 12760 |
| Provisional designation | 1993 TX26 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.71 |
| Orbital period | 5.33 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.05 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.77 – 3.34 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0929 |
| Inclination | 9.88° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.76 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called James
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- (5310) Papike
- (5594) Jimmiller
- (5625) Jamesferguson
- (5627) Short
- (5680) Nasmyth
- (5961) Watt
- (6130) Hutton
- (6758) Jesseowens
- (8146) Jimbell
- (8621) Jimparsons
- (9007) James Bond
All asteroids named after someone called James
Also discovered on 9 October 1993
- (7098) Reaumur
- (8299) Tealeoni
- (8395) Rembaut
- (8541) Schalkenmehren
- (9203) Myrtus
- (9383) Montelimar
- (9384) Aransio
- (9385) Avignon
- (10358) Kirchhoff
- (12363) Marinmarais
- (12759) Joule
- (12761) Pauwels
More named asteroids discovered by E. W. Elst
- (3631) Sigyn
- (3784) Chopin
- (3870) Mayre
- (3903) Kliment Ohridski
- (3910) Liszt
- (3912) Troja
- (3918) Brel
- (4038) Kristina
- (4226) Damiaan
- (4342) Freud
- (4344) Buxtehude
- (4345) Rachmaninoff
← (12759) Joule · (12761) Pauwels →