(10431) Pottasch Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 24 September 1960 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.
Stuart S. Pottasch (b. 1932) is an American astrophysics professor in Groningen. He is an expert on planetary nebulae, on which subject he wrote a monograph. In addition, he is a specialist on cacti and parrots. The citation was prepared by U. Schwarz.Naming citation (20010705/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Pottasch is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Pottasch is 3.11 au from the Sun and 4.11 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 10431 |
| Provisional designation | 4042 P-L |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 3.11 km (#14,940 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.348 |
| Rotation period | 7.27 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.81 |
| Orbital period | 4.57 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.75 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.18 – 3.32 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.208 |
| Inclination | 4.90° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.20 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Stuart
- (5568) Mufson
- (10153) Goldman
- (100015) Sutcliffe
- (116446) McDermid
- (179647) Stuartrobbins
- (350185) Linnell
All asteroids named after someone called Stuart
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