(2798) Vergilius Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 24 September 1960 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T. at Palomar.
Named for the Roman poet Virgil (70–18 B.C.), author of the poems Bucolica, Georgica and Aeneis.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 4, #10, 4), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Vergilius is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Vergilius is 2.56 au from the Sun and 3.53 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 2798 |
| Provisional designation | 2009 P-L |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.84 km (#10,935 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.225 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.21 |
| Orbital period | 3.76 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.42 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.27 – 2.56 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0591 |
| Inclination | 5.32° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.28 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 24 September 1960
- (1743) Schmidt
- (1744) Harriet
- (1776) Kuiper
- (1777) Gehrels
- (1795) Woltjer
- (1808) Bellerophon
- (1809) Prometheus
- (1810) Epimetheus
- (1811) Bruwer
- (1812) Gilgamesh
- (1846) Bengt
- (1868) Thersites
More named asteroids discovered by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T.
- (1743) Schmidt
- (1744) Harriet
- (1776) Kuiper
- (1777) Gehrels
- (1778) Alfven
- (1795) Woltjer
- (1808) Bellerophon
- (1809) Prometheus
- (1810) Epimetheus
- (1811) Bruwer
- (1812) Gilgamesh
- (1813) Imhotep
← (2797) Teucer · (2799) Justus →