(69971) Tanzi Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 18 November 1998 by M. Cavagna at Sormano.
Pepe Tanzi (b. 1945) studied at the Politecnico of Milano, where he graduated in architecture in 1969. He started working as an industrial designer with special attention to lighting systems. One of his latest products allows the light to be placed where it is needed, thereby saving energy.Naming citation (20071124/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Tanzi is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Tanzi is 3.72 au from the Sun and 3.36 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 69971 |
| Provisional designation | 1998 WD2 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 12.8 km (#3,789 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0620 |
| Rotation period | 32.5 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.38 |
| Orbital period | 4.99 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.92 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.11 – 3.73 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.277 |
| Inclination | 11.1° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.13 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.