51178

51178 is a numbered minor planet of the asteroid belt, officially designated 51178 and discovered on 5 April 1994 by the LINEAR survey at the Lincoln Laboratory’s Experimental Test Site in Socorro, New Mexico. The asteroid was first observed as a faint moving point of light against the background stars and its orbit was subsequently confirmed through follow‑up observations.

It orbits the Sun in the intermediate region of the main belt, with a semimajor axis of approximately 2.48 astronomical units. Its orbital period is roughly 3.9 years, and the path is moderately eccentric with an eccentricity of about 0.12. The inclination of the orbit relative to the ecliptic plane is around 5°. These parameters place it within the background population of the central main belt, not belonging to any prominent dynamical family.

Physical data from photometric surveys indicate that 51178 is a stony (S‑type) asteroid with a diameter estimated at 7.5 kilometers, based on its absolute magnitude and an assumed albedo of 0.21. Light‑curve analysis shows a rotation period of about 4.5 hours, suggesting a relatively rapid rotation for its size. No spacecraft missions or significant events have involved this minor planet to date.

The International Astronomical Union has not yet assigned it a formal name; it remains known by its provisional catalogue number. It continues to be tracked by ground‑based observatories, contributing to studies of main‑belt dynamics and composition.