Asteroids with Satellites Database--Johnston's Archive

(12148) Caravaggio

compiled by Wm. Robert Johnston
last updated 12 April 2026

--Orbital and physical data--

(See this page for definitions of quantities; source codes in brackets, see this link for full references; *A, *D, and *E indicate assumed, derived, and estimated values, respectively.)

dynamical type, primary: main belt asteroid


orbital data, primary (osculating elements) [JPL] :
semimajor axis a: 2.8845501453 AU
orbital period P: 4.8992019516 yr
(= 1789.4335128 d)
eccentricity e: 0.01724358059
perihelion distance q: 2.8348101724 AU
aphelion distance Q: 2.9342901182 AU
inclination i: 3.774065149°
argument of perihelion ω: 45.3111463°
ascending node Ω: 116.0300132°
mean anomaly M: 312.5791781°
perihelion passage TP: 2026 Jul 14.712244
Epoch: 2025 Nov 21
data arc: 1960-2026 (2919 obs.)
Earth MOID: 1.84276 AU
Jupiter Tisserand invariant TJ: 3.29


orbital data, secondary:
semimajor axis as: 73.9 km (separation) [G26a]
separation/primary radius as/rp:16.9 [*D]
separation/Hill radius as/rH:0.041 [*E]
orbital period Ps: 8.3 d [*E]
eccentricity es: ?
normalized ang. mom. αL: ?

other data, system (combined):
absolute mag. H: 14.22 [MPC]
slope parameter G: (0.15) [*A]
effective diameter dE: 8.9 km [*D]
geometric albedo: 0.045 [*D]
color index U-B: ?
color index B-V: ?
color index J-H:0.515 ± 0.202 [S10b]
taxonomic type:
mass m: ?
density ρ: (1.3 g/cm3) [*A]
Hill radius rH: 1800 km [*E]

other data, primary:
diameter dp: 8.75 km [G26a]
rotation period RPp: ?
amplitude in mag., rotational ΔM: ?
pole direction Β, λ: ? , ?


other data, secondary:
diameter ds: 1.85 ± 1.15 km [G26a]
diameter ratio ds/dp: 0.21 ± 0.13 [*D]
component mag. difference ΔM: 3.4 ± 1.6 [*D]
rotation period RPs: ?

-- (12148) Caravaggio --discovery and notes:

Primary discovered 1960 Sep 24 from Palomar Observatory, California, USA by C. J. van Houten, I. van Houten-Groeneveld, and T. Gehrels. Alternate designation(s): 6636 P-L, 1990 WS12. Permanent number assigned 1999 Oct 26.

Named 2010 Nov 28 for Michelangelo Merist da Caravaggio (1571-1610) [MPC072989].

Companion discovered 2026 Jan 27 by J.-F. Gout, D. Herald, D. Gault, C. Weber, and B. Anderson using stellar occultation observations from Starkville, Mississippi, USA. Announced 2026 Apr 06 [G26a].

--Links, more technical:

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--Links to ADS abstracts:


© 2026 by Wm. Robert Johnston.
Last modified 12 April 2026.
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