(5338) Michelblanc Main-belt Asteroid

Discovered on 13 September 1991 by H. E. Holt at Palomar.

Named in honor of Michel Blanc (b. 1949), French planetary scientist and director of the Observatoire Midi Pyrenées. Blanc is a expert in dynamics and electrodynamics in the space environments of the earth and planets. He is Cassini Mission Interdisciplinary Scientist for studies of Saturn's magnetosphere. As president of the National Planetology Program of the Institut National de Science de l´Univers of the French National Scientific Research Council, Blanc has played a pivotal role in promoting and developing planetary science in France. Name suggested and citation prepared by M. Fulchignoni.Naming citation (19990728/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL

Where Michelblanc is today

Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Michelblanc is 2.75 au from the Sun and 2.46 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.

Facts

Number	5338
Provisional designation	1991 RJ5
Orbit class	Main-belt Asteroid
Rotation period	2.88 hours
Absolute magnitude (H)	12.8
Orbital period	4.87 years
Semi-major axis	2.87 au
Perihelion – aphelion	2.67 – 3.08 au
Eccentricity	0.0705
Inclination	3.36°
Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID)	1.68 au

Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.

Also named after someone called Michel

All asteroids named after someone called Michel

Also discovered on 13 September 1991

More named asteroids discovered by H. E. Holt

All 119

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