(11240) Piso Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 24 September 1960 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.
Willem Piso (1610-1678), doctor of medicine, together with Georg Marcgraf wrote the first book about the flora, fauna and the local customs of the Brazilians. Their book was and is an unique example of Brazilian society during the reign of the Dutch in Brazil.Naming citation (20040306/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Piso is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Piso is 2.47 au from the Sun and 2.72 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 11240 |
| Provisional designation | 4175 P-L |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.34 |
| Orbital period | 3.35 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.24 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.99 – 2.48 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.110 |
| Inclination | 4.35° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.01 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Willem
- (1964) Luyten
- (9686) Keesom
- (10436) Janwillempel
- (10652) Blaeu
- (10654) Bontekoe
- (10964) Degraaff
- (10984) Gispen
- (11427) Willemkolff
- (12132) Wimfroger
- (12162) Bilderdijk
- (12175) Wimhermans
- (13045) Vermandere
All asteroids named after someone called Willem
Also discovered on 24 September 1960
- (1743) Schmidt
- (1744) Harriet
- (1776) Kuiper
- (1777) Gehrels
- (1795) Woltjer
- (1808) Bellerophon
- (1809) Prometheus
- (1810) Epimetheus
- (1811) Bruwer
- (1812) Gilgamesh
- (1846) Bengt
- (1868) Thersites