1196 Sheba

1196 Sheba, provisional designation, is a metallic asteroid from the middle region of the asteroid belt, approximately 25 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 21 May 1931 by astronomer Cyril Jackson at Johannesburg Observatory, South Africa.

Sheba is a metallic X-type asteroid and orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.2–3.1 AU once every 4 years and 4 months (1,581 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.18 and an inclination of 18° with respect to the ecliptic. It was first identified as at Heidelberg Observatory in 1912. The body's observation arc, however, begins at Johannesburg, four months after its official discovery observation.

This minor planet was named after the biblical Queen of Sheba, who visited King Solomon. Naming citation was first published by Paul Herget in The Names of the Minor Planets in 1955 (H 111).