2244 Tesla

2244 Tesla
Discovery
Discovered by	M. B. Protić
Discovery site	Belgrade Obs.
Discovery date	22 October 1952
Designations
MPC designation	(2244) Tesla
Named after	Nikola Tesla; (Serbian inventor)
Alternative designations	1952 UW1 · 1938 UE1; 1938 WE · 1949 AA; 1966 UB · 1976 YR3; 1980 SV · 1980 TJ15
Minor planet category	main-belt · (middle)
Orbital characteristics
	Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
	Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	64.62 yr (23,602 days)
Aphelion	3.3186 AU
Perihelion	2.3020 AU
Semi-major axis	2.8103 AU
Eccentricity	0.1809
Orbital period (sidereal)	4.71 yr (1,721 days)
Mean anomaly	260.21°
Mean motion	0° 12m 33.12s / day
Inclination	7.8234°
Longitude of ascending node	106.49°
Argument of perihelion	297.81°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	24.377±0.030 km; 29 km
Geometric albedo	0.050±0.003
Spectral type	SMASS = C
Absolute magnitude (H)	11.9

2244 Tesla, provisional designation 1952 UW₁, is a carbonaceous asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt, approximately 25 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 22 October 1952, by Serbian astronomer Milorad Protić at the Belgrade Observatory, then Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, now Serbia.^[5] It is named after the inventor Nikola Tesla.^[2]

Orbit

Tesla orbits the Sun in the central main-belt at a distance of 2.3–3.3 AU once every 4 years and 9 months (1,721 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.18 and an inclination of 8° with respect to the ecliptic.^[1] It was first identified as 1938 UE₁ at Turku Observatory in 1938, extending the body's observation arc by 14 years prior to its official discovery at Belgrade.^[5]

Physical characteristics

In the SMASS taxonomy, Tesla is a dark C-type asteroid.^[1] According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Tesla measures 24.37 kilometers in diameter and its surface has a low albedo of 0.050, in correspondence with its carbonaceous composition.^[3] A larger diameter estimate of 29 kilometers was obtained in 2008, from an asteroid occultation.^[4]

Lightcurves

As of 2017, Tesla's rotation period and shape remains unknown.^[1]^[6]

Naming

This minor planet was named in memory of Serbian-American electrical engineer and inventor Nikola Tesla (1856–1943). He is best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system. The lunar crater Tesla is also named in his honor.^[2] The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 7 March 1985 (M.P.C. 9477).^[7]