(96178) Rochambeau Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 29 September 1987 by E. Bowell at Anderson Mesa.
Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau (1725-1807), was commander of the French Expeditionary Force supporting the American revolution. French and American troops marched from Newport, Rhode Island to Yorktown, Virginia for the decisive battle, a route now designated as a National Historic Trail.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2015-06-02), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Rochambeau is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Rochambeau is 3.37 au from the Sun and 4.35 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 96178 |
| Provisional designation | 1987 SA4 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Rotation period | 5.20 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.49 |
| Orbital period | 4.15 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.58 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.67 – 3.49 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.352 |
| Inclination | 2.80° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.677 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Baptiste
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- (13011) Loeillet
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- (23777) Goursat
- (34846) Vincent
- (74025) Marquette
All asteroids named after someone called Baptiste
Also discovered on 29 September 1987
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- (4059) Balder
- (5111) Jacliff
- (5616) Vogtland
- (6124) Mecklenburg
- (6475) Refugium
- (7333) Bec-Borsenberger
- (8268) Goerdeler
- (16418) Lortzing
- (30778) Doblin