(7172) Multatuli Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 17 February 1988 by E. W. Elst at La Silla.
Named in memory of the great Dutch writer Multatuli (“I have suffered much”, pseudonym of Eduard Douwes Dekker, 1820-1887). In 1838 he went to the Dutch East Indies, where he held a number of governmental posts. In 1856 he resigned as assistant commissioner of Lebak, Java, because he was not supported by the government in his struggle to protect the Javanese from exploitation by their own chiefs. Back in Europe, he soon became internationally known with his novel Max Havelaar (1860), which enabled him to plead for justice in Java and to satirize the Dutch middle-class mentality. Name proposed by the discoverer, endorsed by C.-~F. Merks and J. Meeus.Naming citation (19961224/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Multatuli is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Multatuli is 2.39 au from the Sun and 3.20 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 7172 |
| Provisional designation | 1988 DE2 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 3.89 km (#13,020 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.353 |
| Rotation period | 3.48 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.1 |
| Orbital period | 3.77 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.42 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.06 – 2.78 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.147 |
| Inclination | 3.30° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.08 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.