(17431) Sainte-Colombe Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 3 September 1989 by E. W. Elst at Haute Provence.
Jean de Sainte-Colombe (1640-1700), a French composer and celebrated viola da gamba player, added a seventh string on the bass viol. A teacher of Marin Marais, he wrote more than 60 concertos for two viols and more than 170 pieces for the seven-string viol.Naming citation (20100923/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Sainte-Colombe is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Sainte-Colombe is 2.62 au from the Sun and 2.65 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 17431 |
| Provisional designation | 1989 RT |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.39 km (#11,859 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.210 |
| Rotation period | 5.00 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.15 |
| Orbital period | 3.59 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.35 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.05 – 2.64 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.126 |
| Inclination | 6.74° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.04 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Jean
- (2221) Chilton
- (2267) Agassiz
- (3821) Sonet
- (8116) Jeanperrin
- (8604) Vanier
- (9138) Murdoch
- (9968) Serpe
- (10111) Fresnel
- (10215) Lavilledemirmont
- (10440) van Swinden
- (12286) Poiseuille
- (12498) Dragesco
All asteroids named after someone called Jean