(18572) Rocher Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 28 November 1997 by ODAS at Caussols.
Patrick Rocher (b. 1951) works at the Institut de Mécanique Céleste in Paris. His main task has been to build an integration package to compute orbital parameters for minor planets and comets. He is also involved in the computation of ephemerides for the Bureau des Longitudes and is a specialist on historical calendars.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 5, #19, 5), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Rocher is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Rocher is 2.43 au from the Sun and 3.14 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 18572 |
| Provisional designation | 1997 WQ22 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 2.15 km (#16,844 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.381 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.35 |
| Orbital period | 3.40 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.26 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.86 – 2.66 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.177 |
| Inclination | 1.82° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.862 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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