4179 Toutatis
Near-Earth Asteroid
Press Enter · cited answer in seconds
0 sources
Summary
4179 Toutatis is a potentially hazardous asteroid[1]. It ranks in the top 3% of potentially hazardous asteroid entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (770 views/month).[2]
Key Facts
- Discoverer or inventor: Christian Pollas[3]
- Instance of: near-Earth object[4], near-Earth asteroid[5]
- Site of astronomical discovery: Côte d'Azur Observatory[6], Caussols[7]
- Named after: Teutates[8]
- Follows: 4178 Mimeev[9]
- Followed by: 4180 Anaxagoras[10]
- Minor planet group: Apollo asteroid[11], asteroid belt[12]
- Commons category: 4179 Toutatis[13]
- Parent astronomical body: Sun[14]
- Provisional designation: 1934 CT[15], 1989 AC[16]
- Time of discovery or invention: January 4, 1989[17]
- Asteroid spectral type: S-type asteroid[18]
- Significant event: naming[19]
- Orbital eccentricity: 0.635[20], 0.6288851[21], 0.624740333220544[22]
- Apparent magnitude: 8.8[23], 22.4[24]
- Absolute magnitude: 15.30[25], 15.29[26]
- Orbital inclination: 0.44602 degree[27], 0.44797 degree[28], 0.4480782679755703 degree[29]
- Density: 2.1 gram per cubic centimetre[30]
- Mass: 50,000,000,000,000 kg[31]
- Temperature: 174 K[32]
- Orbital period: 4.04 years[33], 1481.240624993748 day[34]
- Rotation period: 176.0 hour[35]
- Longitude of ascending node: 124.60820 degree[36], 125.3653430475722 degree[37]
- Semi-major axis of an orbit: 2.5383010 astronomical unit[38], 2.543029853371406 astronomical unit[39]
- Apoapsis: 4.135 astronomical unit[40], 4.13176317135645 astronomical unit[41]
Why It Matters
4179 Toutatis has Wikipedia articles in 25 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[42] It is known by 19 alternative names across languages and contexts.[43]