(11966) Plateau Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 12 August 1994 by E. W. Elst at La Silla.
Joseph Antoine Ferdinand Plateau (1801-1883) was a Belgian physicist who stated the so-called “Plateau-problem”. The proof of the existence of a minimal surface (of least area) bounded by a simple closed curve in space was solved in 1930 by means of variational analysis.Naming citation (20000523/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Plateau is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Plateau is 2.76 au from the Sun and 3.61 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 11966 |
| Provisional designation | 1994 PJ20 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 5.21 km (#10,224 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.179 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.15 |
| Orbital period | 4.77 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.83 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.72 – 2.95 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0414 |
| Inclination | 0.998° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.70 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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