(4179) Toutatis Apollo
Discovered on 4 January 1989 by C. Pollas at Caussols.
Named after the Gaulish god, protector of the tribe. This totemic deity is well known because of the cartoon series Les aventures d'Astérix by Uderzo and Goscinny. This tells the stories of two almost fearless heroes living in the last village under siege in Roman-occupied Gaul in 50 B.C., and whose only fear is that the sky may fall onto their heads one day. Since this object is the Apollo object with the smallest inclination known, it is a good candidate to fall on our heads one of these days... But as the chief of the village always says: “C'est pas demain la veille...” Citation written by the discoverer and A. Maury and endorsed by J. D. Mulholland, who with Maury obtained the discovery plates.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 4, #10, 4), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Toutatis is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Toutatis is 4.08 au from the Sun and 5.05 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 4179 |
| Provisional designation | 1989 AC |
| Orbit class | Apollo · near-Earth · potentially hazardous |
| Diameter | 5.40 km (#9,880 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.405 |
| Rotation period | 176 hours |
| Spectral type | Sk |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.29 |
| Orbital period | 4.06 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.54 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 0.955 – 4.13 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.625 |
| Inclination | 0.448° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.00651 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 4 January 1989
- (4000) Hipparchus
- (4260) Yanai
- (4497) Taguchi
- (4499) Davidallen
- (4710) Wade
- (5176) Yoichi
- (5374) Hokutosei
- (6708) Bobbievaile
- (7120) Davidgavine
- (7645) Pons
- (9843) Braidwood