(20969) Samo Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 17 September 1979 by A. Mrkos at Klet.
Samo (c. 600-c. 659) was a French merchant. Around the year 623 he organized the Slavic tribes into a kingdom and led this kingdom to defeat the Avars. Samo ruled over this Slavic kingdom, centered in Bohemia, until his death. This kingdom is the earliest state known to have been established in Bohemia.Naming citation (20011230/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Samo is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Samo is 2.35 au from the Sun and 2.48 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 20969 |
| Provisional designation | 1979 SH |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 3.19 km (#14,733 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.302 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.68 |
| Orbital period | 4.21 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.61 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.89 – 3.32 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.275 |
| Inclination | 5.21° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.896 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.