(14616) Van Gaal Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 10 October 1998 by LONEOS at Anderson Mesa.
Hendrik Van Gaal (1916-1998) was a Belgian priest and the founder of Urania, the public observatory of Antwerp. Van Gall strongly felt that religious institutions should not take a defensive attitude against, but rather encourage, science. The name was suggested by E. Goffin and M. Gyssens.Naming citation (20030501/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Van Gaal is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Van Gaal is 2.77 au from the Sun and 3.75 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 14616 |
| Provisional designation | 1998 TK30 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.2 |
| Orbital period | 3.74 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.41 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.04 – 2.78 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.153 |
| Inclination | 11.3° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.05 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Hendrik
All asteroids named after someone called Hendrik
Also discovered on 10 October 1998
- (10239) Hermann
- (13774) Spurny
- (25216) Enricobernardi
- (25225) Patrickbenson
- (25226) Brasch
- (25227) Genehill
- (25228) Mikekitt
- (25229) Karenkitt
- (27082) Donaldson-Hanna
- (29628) Fedorets