(16829) Richardfrench Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 24 November 1997 by Spacewatch at Kitt Peak.
Richard G. French (b. 1949) is a planetary astronomer who uses occultations to study rings, small bodies, and atmospheres in the solar system, and led the Radio Science Team for the Cassini-Huygens Mission to Saturn. As a professor, a dean, and Whitin Observatory Director at Wellesley College (Mass., USA), he taught and mentored students for over 40 years.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 2, #4, 6), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Richardfrench is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Richardfrench is 2.22 au from the Sun and 1.47 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 16829 |
| Provisional designation | 1997 WG7 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.76 km (#11,093 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0710 |
| Rotation period | 2.02 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.38 |
| Orbital period | 3.30 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.21 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.84 – 2.59 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.168 |
| Inclination | 5.68° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.861 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Richard
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All asteroids named after someone called Richard