(212977) Birute Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 2 February 2009 by K. Cernis at Moletai.
Birutė (d. 1382) was the second wife of Kęstutis, Grand Duke of Lithuania, and mother of Vytautas the Great. There is very little known about Birutė's life, but after her death a strong cult devoted to her developed among Lithuanians.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 3, #13, 13), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Birute is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Birute is 2.07 au from the Sun and 3.07 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 212977 |
| Provisional designation | 2009 CT3 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 1.48 km (#17,353 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.168 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 17.05 |
| Orbital period | 3.41 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.27 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.95 – 2.59 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.142 |
| Inclination | 5.98° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.942 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.