(178008) Picard Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 30 August 2006 by B. Christophe at Saint-Sulpice.
Claude Picard (1942-2008), an “Arts et Métiers” engineer, joined the Societé Astronomique de France in 2000. In 2001 he created the Commission Cosmologie and later become its president. The discoverer, who has become a member of this commission, appreciates very much Picard's technical competence and kindness.Naming citation (20080819/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Picard is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Picard is 4.08 au from the Sun and 4.73 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 178008 |
| Provisional designation | 2006 QQ137 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 16.0 |
| Orbital period | 5.53 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.13 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.16 – 4.10 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.310 |
| Inclination | 14.8° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.23 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Claude
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- (12064) Guiraudon
- (12996) Claudedomingue
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- (22647) Levi-Strauss
- (33402) Canizares
- (35621) Lorius
- (37785) Nougaro
All asteroids named after someone called Claude