Overview
252 Clementina is a large asteroid located in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter. It was discovered on 11 October 1885 by French astronomer Henri Joseph Anastase Perrotin at the Nice Observatory in France. The origin of its name has not been established.
Discovery
- Discoverer: H. J. A. Perrotin (Henri Joseph Anastase Perrotin)
- Date: 11 October 1885
- Location: Nice Observatory, Nice, France
Orbital characteristics (epoch 31 July 2016, JD 2457600.5)
- Semimajor axis: 3.159 AU (≈ 472.6 Gm)
- Eccentricity: 0.0695
- Perihelion distance: 2.940 AU (≈ 439.7 Gm)
- Aphelion distance: 3.379 AU (≈ 505.5 Gm)
- Orbital period: 5.62 yr (≈ 2051 days)
- Inclination: 10.04° to the ecliptic
- Mean anomaly (epoch): 131.15°
- Longitude of ascending node: 202.04°
- Argument of perihelion: 155.89°
- Uncertainty parameter: 0 (well‑determined orbit)
Physical properties
- Diameter: ≈ 69 km (± 4.4 km)
- Spectral type: Stony (S‑type) asteroid
- Geometric albedo: 0.084 ± 0.012
- Absolute magnitude (H): 9.7
- Rotation period: 10.864 h (± 0.001 h), with a brightness variation of about 0.37 mag, as determined from photometric observations at the Organ Mesa Observatory in 2012.
Observational history
Photometric studies have confirmed the rotation period and provided light‑curve data consistent across multiple observing campaigns. The asteroid has been observed over an arc of more than 130 years (≈ 47 667 days), resulting in a highly reliable orbital solution.
Naming
The source or meaning of the name “Clementina” remains unknown; no official citation explains its origin.
References
- JPL Small‑Body Database Browser – 252 Clementina. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- Pilcher, Frederick (October 2012). “Rotation Period Determinations for 47 Aglaja, 252 Clementina, 611 Valeria, 627 Charis, and 756 Lilliana.” Minor Planet Bulletin 39: 220–222.
- Minor Planet Center, Discovery Circumstances – Numbered Minor Planets (1‑5000).
External links
- JPL Small‑Body Database entry for 252 Clementina
- Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB) query page
- Space Reference profile for 252 Clementina
