182 Elsa

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182 Elsa
Orbital characteristics 1
Orbit type Main belt
Semimajor axis 2.417 AU
Perihelion distance 1.968 AU
Aphelion distance 2.866 AU
Orbital period 3.76 years
Inclination 2.00°
Eccentricity 0.186
Physical characteristics 1
Diameter 43.7 km
Rotation period 80 hours
Spectral class 5 S
Abs. magnitude 9.12
Albedo 4 0.208
History 2
Discoverer J. Palisa, 1878

182 Elsa is a Main belt asteroid. It is an S-type asteroid.

It was discovered by Johann Palisa on February 7, 1878. The origin of the name is uncertain; it may be named after the character in the legend of Lohengrin perpetuated by Richard Wagner's opera of the same name.

It rotates very slowly; its rotation period (or "day") is about 3.3 Earth days. A possible companion has been proposed to explain the slow rotation.

Elsa has very amplified lightcurve indicating an elongated or irregular body. It was one of five minor planets included in the 1993 study, Transition Comets -- UV Search for OH Emissions in Asteroids, which was research involving amateur astronomers who were permitted to make use of the Hubble Space Telescope.