(230691) Van Vogt Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 18 October 2003 by B. Christophe at Saint-Sulpice.
Alfred Elton Van Vogt (1912-2000) was a Canadian-born science-fiction writer. The discoverer's favorite stories are the three novels based on General Semantics: The World of Null-A, The Pawns of Null-A and The Null-A Three, together with The Voyage of The Space Beagle, published in 1950.Naming citation (20100330/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Van Vogt is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Van Vogt is 3.23 au from the Sun and 3.75 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 230691 |
| Provisional designation | 2003 UD18 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 16.43 |
| Orbital period | 5.36 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.06 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.86 – 3.27 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0663 |
| Inclination | 0.427° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.85 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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