| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | M. B. Protić |
| Discovery site | Belgrade Obs. |
| Discovery date | 22 October 1952 |
| Designations | |
| (2244) Tesla | |
Named after | Nikola Tesla (Serbian inventor)[2] |
| 1952 UW1 · 1938 UE1 1938 WE · 1949 AA 1966 UB · 1976 YR3 1980 SV · 1980 TJ15 | |
| main-belt · (middle) | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 64.62 yr (23,602 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.3186AU |
| Perihelion | 2.3020 AU |
| 2.8103 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1809 |
| 4.71yr (1,721 days) | |
| 260.21° | |
| 0° 12m 33.12s / day | |
| Inclination | 7.8234° |
| 106.49° | |
| 297.81° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 24.377±0.030 km[3] 29 km[4] |
| 0.050±0.003[3] | |
| SMASS =C[1] | |
| 11.9[1] | |
2244 Tesla, provisional designation1952 UW1, is a carbonaceousasteroid from the central region of theasteroid belt, approximately 25 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 22 October 1952, by Serbian astronomerMilorad Protić at theBelgrade Observatory, thenFederal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, now Serbia.[5] It is named after the inventorNikola Tesla.[2]
Tesla orbits the Sun in thecentral main-belt at a distance of 2.3–3.3 AU once every 4 years and 9 months (1,721 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.18 and aninclination of 8° with respect to theecliptic.[1] It was first identified as1938 UE1 atTurku Observatory in 1938, extending the body'sobservation arc by 14 years prior to its official discovery at Belgrade.[5]
In theSMASS taxonomy,Tesla is a darkC-type asteroid.[1] According to the survey carried out by NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequentNEOWISE mission,Tesla measures 24.37 kilometers in diameter and its surface has a lowalbedo of 0.050, in correspondence with its carbonaceous composition.[3] A larger diameter estimate of 29 kilometers was obtained in 2008, from anasteroid occultation.[4]
As of 2017,Tesla'srotation period and shape remains unknown.[1][6]
Thisminor planet was named in memory of Serbian-American electrical engineer and inventorNikola Tesla (1856–1943). He is best known for his contributions to the design of the modernalternating current (AC) electricity supply system. The lunar craterTesla is also named in his honor.[2] The approved naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 7 March 1985 (M.P.C. 9477).[7]
| Career and inventions |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Writings | ||
| Other | ||
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