11429 Demodokus /dɪˈmɒdəkəs/ is a mid-sized Jupiter trojan from the Greek camp, approximately 38 kilometers (24 miles) in diameter. It was discovered during the Palomar–Leiden survey at the Palomar Observatory in 1960 and later named after the blind singer Demodocus from Greek mythology.^[1] The dark Jovian asteroid has a longer-than average rotation period of 50.2 hours.^[6]

Demodokus was discovered on 24 September 1960, by Dutch astronomer couple Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten at Leiden, on photographic plates taken by astronomer Tom Gehrels at the Palomar Observatory in California.^[1] The body's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation at Palomar.^[1]

This minor planet was named from Greek mythology after Demodocus, the blind singer at the court of King Alcinous, who is the ruler of the Phaiacians in Homer's Odyssey.^[1] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 24 January 2000 (M.P.C. 38201).^[9]

Demodokus is a dark Jupiter trojan in a 1:1 orbital resonance with Jupiter. It is located in the leading Greek camp at the Gas Giant's L₄ Lagrangian point, 60° ahead on its orbit (see Trojans in astronomy).^[3] It is also a non-family asteroid of the Jovian background population.^[4] It orbits the Sun at a distance of 5.1–5.4 AU once every 12.04 years (4,397 days; semi-major axis of 5.25 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.03 and an inclination of 17° with respect to the ecliptic.^[2]

Demodokus is an assumed C-type asteroid, while the majority of larger Jupiter trojans are D-types.^[6]