(44456) Vidal-Madjar Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 11 November 1998 by ODAS at Caussols.
Alfred Vidal-Madjar (b. 1942) is a French observational astrophysicist. He participated in the first detection of a microlensing event, made the first detection of deuterium in the interstellar medium, discovered the first evaporating exoplanet and proposed the existence of exocomets in the β Pictoris system.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 3, #14, 9), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Vidal-Madjar is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Vidal-Madjar is 2.98 au from the Sun and 3.61 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 44456 |
| Provisional designation | 1998 VP4 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 5.57 km (#9,616 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.172 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.21 |
| Orbital period | 5.33 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.05 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.95 – 3.15 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0333 |
| Inclination | 8.33° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.97 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Alfred
- (7750) McEwen
- (8282) Delp
- (9683) Rambaldo
- (11422) Alilienthal
- (11519) Adler
- (11765) Alfredfowler
- (11769) Alfredjoy
- (12057) Alfredsturm
- (13058) Alfredstevens
- (13672) Tarski
- (14331) Alyankovic
- (24907) Alfredhaar
All asteroids named after someone called Alfred
Also discovered on 11 November 1998
- (12568) Kuffner
- (12919) Tomjohnson
- (13793) Laubernasconi
- (13801) Kohlhase
- (14632) Flensburg
- (25259) Lucarnold
- (27110) Annemaryvonne
- (28173) Hisakichi
- (33334) Turon
- (33335) Guibert
- (47018) Chopinet
- (56018) Yujawang