(7059) Van Dokkum Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 18 September 1990 by H. E. Holt at Palomar.
Dutch astronomer Pieter van Dokkum (b. 1972) studies the evolution of galaxies over cosmic time. A former circus ringmaster and used-car salesman, this Yale University professor can often be found standing knee-deep in a pond photographing dragonflies.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2016-11-14), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Van Dokkum is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Van Dokkum is 2.01 au from the Sun and 1.01 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 7059 |
| Provisional designation | 1990 SK3 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Rotation period | 4.62 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.38 |
| Orbital period | 3.27 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.20 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.83 – 2.58 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.171 |
| Inclination | 3.81° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.816 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Pieter
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- (9664) Brueghel
- (10655) Pietkeyser
- (10970) de Zeeuw
- (12170) Vanvollenhoven
- (14019) Pourbus
- (15468) Mondriaan
- (20068) Peterbarthel
- (29212) Zeeman
- (52226) Saenredam
- (333514) Kallemeyn
All asteroids named after someone called Pieter