186 Celuta is a 50 km Main belt asteroid. It was discovered by the French astronomers Paul Henry and Prosper Henry on April 6, 1878. This was the last discovery credited to the Prosper brothers. It is classified as an S-type asteroid.

186 Celuta
3D convex shape model of 186 Celuta
Discovery
Discovered byP. M. Henry, 1878
Discovery date6 April 1878
Designations
(186) Celuta
Pronunciation/sɛˈltə/
A878 GA; 1954 FD
Main belt
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc132.36 yr (48343 d)
Aphelion2.7152 AU (406.19 Gm)
Perihelion2.0084 AU (300.45 Gm)
2.3618 AU (353.32 Gm)
Eccentricity0.14964
3.63 yr (1325.8 d)
275.22°
0° 16m 17.544s / day
Inclination13.185°
14.769°
315.65°
Earth MOID1.01999 AU (152.588 Gm)
Jupiter MOID2.71546 AU (406.227 Gm)
TJupiter3.500
Physical characteristics
Dimensions49.99±1.6 km
19.842 h (0.8268 d)[1][2]
0.1929±0.013
SK
8.91

The asteroid is named after Céluta, a female character in two works of fiction by François-René de Chateaubriand, Atala (1801) and René (1802). The Henry brothers had already named another of their discoveries, 152 Atala, after the heroine of Atala.[3] Both Atala and Céluta are American Indian fictional characters.[4]

Photometric observations of this asteroid at the Organ Mesa Observatory in Las Cruces, New Mexico during 2010 gave a light curve with a period of 19.842 ± 0.001 hours and a brightness variation of 0.54 ± 0.02 in magnitude.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b "186 Celuta", JPL Small-Body Database Browser, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, retrieved 12 May 2016
  2. ^ a b Pilcher, Frederick (April 2011), "Rotation Period Determinations for 25 Phocaea, 140 Siwa, 149 Medusa 186 Celuta, 475 Ocllo, 574 Reginhild, and 603 Timandra", The Minor Planet Bulletin, vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 76–78, Bibcode:2011MPBu...38...76P.
  3. ^ Schmadel, Lutz D.; International Astronomical Union (2012). Dictionary of minor planet names (6th ed.). Berlin; New York: Springer-Verlag. p. 29. ISBN 9783642297182. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  4. ^ Chateaubriand, François-René (1801). Atala.; Chateaubriand, François-René (1802). René.
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