(6998) Tithonus Jupiter Trojan
Discovered on 16 October 1977 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.
Named for Tithonus, son of Laomedon and brother of Priam, kings of Troy.Naming citation (19960828/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Tithonus is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Tithonus is 5.40 au from the Sun and 4.78 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 6998 |
| Provisional designation | 3108 T-3 |
| Orbit class | Jupiter Trojan |
| Diameter | 27.8 km (#1,495 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0490 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 11.52 |
| Orbital period | 11.8 years |
| Semi-major axis | 5.17 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 4.81 – 5.54 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0701 |
| Inclination | 1.73° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 3.79 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 16 October 1977
- (3798) de Jager
- (3936) Elst
- (4044) Erikhog
- (4108) Rakos
- (4722) Agelaos
- (4753) Phidias
- (4754) Panthoos
- (5610) Balster
- (5699) Munch
- (5700) Homerus
- (5984) Lysippus
- (6055) Brunelleschi