3782 Celle
Bright Vestian binary asteroid with a 2.3-km moon.
3782 Celle, first designated 1986 TE, is a bright, V-type asteroid belonging to the Vesta family and an asynchronous binary system. It sits in the inner main belt, measuring roughly 6.5 kilometers (4 miles) across. Danish astronomer Poul Jensen spotted it on 3 October 1986 at the Brorfelde Observatory in Denmark. The asteroid is named for the German city of Celle. In 2003, astronomers announced that it has a moon about 2.3 kilometers in diameter. Celle is a core member of the Vesta family (401), a large group in the main belt. Like other Vestian asteroids, its composition resembles cumulate eucrites (HED meteorites), likely originating deep within the crust of 4 Vesta, possibly from the Rheasilvia crater near its south pole—a scar from a subcatastrophic impact. Vesta is the second-largest and second-most-massive body in the main belt after Ceres. Celle orbits the Sun in the inner asteroid belt at distances between 2.2 and 2.6 AU, completing one orbit every 3 years and 9 months (1,371 days) along a semi-major axis of 2.42 AU. Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.09 and an inclination of 5° relative to the ecliptic. The first observations of this body were made as at Crimea–Nauchnij in April 1970, about 16 years before its official discovery at Brorfelde. In the SMASS classification and according to Pan-STARRS survey data, Celle is a bright V-type asteroid, consistent with the spectral type typical of Vestian asteroids. Photometric observations since 2001 have produced several rotational lightcurves. The best-rated ones show a rotation period of 3.84 hours, with brightness amplitudes ranging from 0.11 to 0.17 magnitude. NEOWISE measurements from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer give Celle a diameter between 5.924 and 6.6 kilometers and a surface albedo from 0.232 to 0.5033. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a high albedo of 0.4 and calculates a diameter of 6.35 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 12.6. Between September 2001 and February 2003, American astronomers William Ryan (New Mexico Tech and NMHU), along with Carlos Martinez and Lacey Stewart, observed Celle using the 1.8-meter Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope on Mount Graham, Arizona, as part of a larger survey.
Quick Facts
- Minorplanet
- yes
- Background
- #D6D6D6
- Discoverer
- P. Jensen
- Discovery Site
- Brorfelde Obs.
- Discovered
- 3 October 1986
- Mpc Name
- (3782) Celle
- Named After
- Celle (German city)
- Mp Category
- main-belt(inner) / Vesta
- Epoch
- 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5)
- Uncertainty
- 0
- Observation Arc
- 47.74 yr (17,437 d)
- Aphelion
- 2.6414 AU
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Celle is a core member of the Vesta family (401), one of the largest families in the main belt. Vestian asteroids have a composition akin to cumulate eucrites (HED meteorites) and are thought to have originated deep within 4 Vesta's crust, possibly from the Rheasilvia crater. Celle orbits the Sun in the inner asteroid belt at a distance of 2.2–2.6 AU once every 3 years and 9 months, with an eccentricity of 0.09 and an inclination of 5°. Photometric observations between September 2001 and February 2003 using the 1.8-meter Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope revealed mutual occultation events, showing Celle to be an asynchronous binary asteroid. Its moon orbits every 36.57 hours at an average distance of 18±1 km. A combined bulk density of 2.2±0.4 g/cm³ was modeled for the likely basaltic bodies. On March 17, 2026, an occultation of a V=11.3 star by Celle was observed, marking the first observed stellar occultation by the satellite.
Reader's Guide
Celle's significance lies in its binary nature and its membership in the Vesta family, linking it to the deep crust of the asteroid Vesta. The discovery of its 2.3-kilometer moon in 2003, based on photometric observations from the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope, added to the growing catalog of asteroid satellites. The first observed stellar occultation by its moon in 2026 provided rare direct timing data, further refining knowledge of the system. Its naming after the German city of Celle, twinned with the Danish town of Holbæk where the discovering observatory is located, highlights a cultural connection. As a bright V-type asteroid, its composition aligns with HED meteorites, offering insights into the early solar system's differentiation processes. The NEOWISE survey provided diameter estimates between 5.924 and 6.6 km and albedo values from 0.232 to 0.5033, while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a high albedo of 0.4. These details make Celle a well-characterized example of a Vestian binary system.
Did You Know?
- Celle was discovered on 3 October 1986 by Danish astronomer Poul Jensen at Brorfelde Observatory.
- Its moon, discovered in 2003, measures approximately 2.34 km, about 43% the size of the primary.
- The first stellar occultation by Celle's satellite was observed on March 17, 2026.
- Celle is named after the German city of Celle, twinned with Holbæk, Denmark, where the discovering observatory is located.
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