(44597) Thoreau Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 6 August 1999 by Ticha, J., Tichy, M. at Klet.
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was an essayist and naturalist who took the naturalist beliefs of transcendentalism out of the realm of theory into practice and built himself a rustic cabin on the shores of Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts. His memoir of this experience is Walden, or Life in the Woods.Naming citation (20030910/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Thoreau is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Thoreau is 2.35 au from the Sun and 1.83 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 44597 |
| Provisional designation | 1999 PW |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.59 |
| Orbital period | 3.39 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.25 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.99 – 2.52 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.117 |
| Inclination | 5.04° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.984 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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