(20044) Vitoux Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 23 March 1993 by E. W. Elst at Caussols.
Frédéric Vitoux (b. 1944) was a French writer and journalist known for his novel Bébert, Le chat de Louis-Ferdinand Céline (1976).Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 5, #21, 6), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Vitoux is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Vitoux is 2.62 au from the Sun and 3.47 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 20044 |
| Provisional designation | 1993 FV1 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.94 km (#10,724 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.288 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.55 |
| Orbital period | 4.12 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.57 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.31 – 2.83 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.102 |
| Inclination | 12.9° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.33 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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