(20774) Zender Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 1 September 2000 by LINEAR at Socorro.
Joe Zender (b. 1963) is a German planetary scientist based at the European Space Agency in the Netherlands. He is Project Scientist for ESA’s PROBA-3 mission, which uses formation flying to simulate a solar eclipse. Joe’s research focuses on meteor showers and meteor spectral analysis through ground and airborne campaigns.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 6, #11, 38), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Zender is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Zender is 3.07 au from the Sun and 3.19 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 20774 |
| Provisional designation | 2000 RP3 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 6.51 km (#8,239 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.199 |
| Rotation period | 3.79 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.64 |
| Orbital period | 4.95 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.90 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.69 – 3.12 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0753 |
| Inclination | 2.46° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.67 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Joe
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- (305661) Joejackson
All asteroids named after someone called Joe
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