Discovered by Milos Tichý Minor planet category main belt Discovered 21 September 1999 Discoverer Miloš Tichý Discovery site Kleť Observatory | Discovery date on 21 September 1999 Observation arc 14387 days (39.39 yr) Orbits Sun Named after Pierre Méchain Asteroid group Asteroid belt | |
Aphelion 3.2531798 AU (486.66877 Gm) Perihelion 2.3027130 AU (344.48096 Gm) Similar Sun, Sombrero Galaxy, Comet Encke | ||
21785 Méchain is a main belt asteroid with an orbital period of 1691.95 days (4.63 a).
The asteroid was discovered by Milos Tichý at Kleť Observatory on 21 September 1999, and provisionally designated as 1999 SS2.
On 24 June 2002, It was named in honor of a French astronomer and surveyor Pierre Méchain who with Charles Messier, was a major contributor to the early study of deep sky objects and comets.
References
21785 Méchain Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA