(5961) Watt Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 30 December 1989 by R. H. McNaught at Siding Spring.
James Watt (1736-1819) was a Scottish engineer whose improvements to the steam engine led to the rapid advances of the industrial revolution. The SI unit for power, the watt, is named in recognition of his development of the concept.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2014-08-10), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Watt is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Watt is 2.42 au from the Sun and 1.86 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 5961 |
| Provisional designation | 1989 YH1 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 3.70 km (#13,462 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.468 |
| Rotation period | 3.17 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.94 |
| Orbital period | 3.72 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.40 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.05 – 2.75 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.145 |
| Inclination | 1.62° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.06 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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