Discovered by P. M. Henry, 1878 Minor planet category Main belt Aphelion 2.7152 AU (406.19 Gm) Discovered 6 April 1878 Spectral type S-type asteroid Discovery site Paris Observatory | Discovery date 6 April 1878 Observation arc 132.36 yr (48343 d) Perihelion 2.0084 AU (300.45 Gm) Orbits Sun Discoverer Prosper Henry Asteroid group Asteroid belt | |
Similar 188 Menippe, 162 Laurentia, 193 Ambrosia | ||
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.
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. Both Atala and Céluta are American Indian fictional characters.
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.