(54963) Sotin Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 12 August 2001 by NEAT at Palomar.
Christophe Sotin (b. 1958) is a senior research scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and director of the Laboratory for Planetology and Geodynamics at the University of Nantes. His research interests include the internal structure and dynamics of the icy satellites and terrestrial planets.Naming citation (20120207/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Sotin is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Sotin is 3.23 au from the Sun and 4.08 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 54963 |
| Provisional designation | 2001 PS12 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.04 km (#12,647 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.207 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.75 |
| Orbital period | 4.61 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.77 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.28 – 3.26 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.178 |
| Inclination | 8.37° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.29 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Christophe
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All asteroids named after someone called Christophe