(29643) Plucker Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 15 November 1998 by P. G. Comba at Prescott.
Julius Plücker (1801-1868), German mathematician and physicist, proposed that the fundamental element in geometry need not be the point but could be the straight line, and that a duality exists between points and lines. This elegant and fruitful idea was widely exploited by later geometers.Naming citation (20020427/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Plucker is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Plucker is 2.24 au from the Sun and 3.23 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 29643 |
| Provisional designation | 1998 VR31 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 2.36 km (#16,500 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.347 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.25 |
| Orbital period | 3.35 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.24 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.02 – 2.45 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0954 |
| Inclination | 3.90° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.04 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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