(7389) Michelcombes Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 17 October 1982 by E. Bowell at Anderson Mesa.
Named in honor of Michel André Combes (b. 1939), French planetary scientist and president of the Paris Observatory from 1992 to 1998. Combes studied planetary atmospheres using infrared observations carried out both from the ground and from space. He has been particularly active in designing and building new-technology instruments for spacecraft (for example, an infrared spectrometer for the Vega mission to comet 1P/Halley) and for the largest ground-based telescopes (such as the adaptive optics device Come-on). Combes has played an important role in developing planetary science in France, particularly by encouraging his younger colleagues to join international efforts in planetary space exploration. Name suggested and citation prepared by M. Fulchignoni.Naming citation (19990728/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Michelcombes is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Michelcombes is 1.91 au from the Sun and 1.63 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 7389 |
| Provisional designation | 1982 UE |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.32 |
| Orbital period | 3.41 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.26 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.76 – 2.77 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.224 |
| Inclination | 4.30° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.764 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Michel
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- (37848) Michelmeunier
- (38829) Vandeputte
- (49108) Gouttesolard
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- (63787) Michelmaurette
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