(7645) Pons Main-belt Asteroid

Discovered on 4 January 1989 by A. Mrkos at Klet.

Named in memory of Jean-Louis Pons (1761-1831), whose name appears on 26 different comets and who claimed to discover as many as 37. Initially hired as the doorkeeper of the Marseilles Observatory, he soon showed his proficiency for both constructing and using telescopes, and at the end of his career he was directing observatories in Tuscany. He discovered comet 2P/Encke in both 1805 and 1818, and although it is named for the person who recognized this and other apparitions of it as being one and the same body, Encke himself always referred to it as “Pons' comet”. Name suggested by J. Ticha, citation prepared by B. G. Marsden.Naming citation (19980411/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL

👶 Pons as a baby name

Where Pons is today

Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Pons is 2.63 au from the Sun and 3.45 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.

Facts

Number	7645
Provisional designation	1989 AC2
Orbit class	Main-belt Asteroid
Diameter	4.05 km (#12,615 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size)
Albedo	0.187
Rotation period	35.4 hours
Absolute magnitude (H)	14.42
Orbital period	3.65 years
Semi-major axis	2.37 au
Perihelion – aphelion	1.99 – 2.75 au
Eccentricity	0.161
Inclination	0.393°
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 Louis

All asteroids named after someone called Louis

Also discovered on 4 January 1989

More named asteroids discovered by A. Mrkos

All 217

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