(10440) van Swinden Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 17 October 1960 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.
Dutch physicist Jean H. van Swinden (1746-1823) was known for his contributions in the field of terrestrial magnetism in The Netherlands and for his study of the aurora borealis. He also contributed to the introduction of the metric system in Europe. The name was suggested by W. A. Fröger.Naming citation (20010804/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where van Swinden is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: van Swinden is 1.97 au from the Sun and 2.50 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 10440 |
| Provisional designation | 7636 P-L |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 2.20 km (#16,778 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.303 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.59 |
| Orbital period | 3.34 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.23 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.96 – 2.50 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.121 |
| Inclination | 4.19° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.949 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Jean
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- (10215) Lavilledemirmont
- (12286) Poiseuille
- (12498) Dragesco
- (12611) Ingres
All asteroids named after someone called Jean
Also discovered on 17 October 1960
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- (2082) Galahad
- (2319) Aristides
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- (3279) Solon
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