(70446) Pugh Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 10 October 1999 by S. Sposetti at Gnosca.
U.S. physicist George Pugh (b. 1926) was the first to propose, in 1959, a test of general relativity's frame dragging, via a combination telescope/gyroscope in a drag-free satellite. In 2004, after more than 40 years of very innovative developments, a Stanford-led team began such a space experiment: Gravity Probe B.Naming citation (20070730/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Pugh is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Pugh is 2.73 au from the Sun and 3.51 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 70446 |
| Provisional designation | 1999 TY13 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.56 |
| Orbital period | 4.29 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.64 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.36 – 2.91 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.105 |
| Inclination | 3.04° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.37 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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