(18548) Christoffel Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 10 January 1997 by P. G. Comba at Prescott.
Elwin Bruno Christoffel (1829-1900) was a professor at various German universities. His work on quadratic differential forms, inspired by Riemann, anticipated some of the results of tensor theory later developed by Ricci and Levi-Civita.Naming citation (20010309/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Christoffel is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Christoffel is 2.48 au from the Sun and 3.20 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 18548 |
| Provisional designation | 1997 AN12 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.05 km (#12,619 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.156 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.24 |
| Orbital period | 4.14 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.58 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.47 – 2.68 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0408 |
| Inclination | 7.37° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.48 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.