| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | L. Chernykh |
| Discovery site | Crimean Astrophysical Obs. |
| Discovery date | 9 March 1967 |
| Designations | |
| (1790) Volkov | |
Named after | Vladislav Volkov(cosmonaut)[2] |
| 1967 ER · 1926 AB 1950 BU1 · 1955 SV2 1957 FB | |
| main-belt · Flora[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 91.42 yr (33,392 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.4644AU |
| Perihelion | 2.0126 AU |
| 2.2385 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1009 |
| 3.35yr (1,223 days) | |
| 45.470° | |
| 0° 17m 39.48s / day | |
| Inclination | 5.1103° |
| 2.0099° | |
| 147.74° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 7.087±0.093 km[4] 8.057±0.059 km[5] 8.67±0.35 km[6] 8.98 km(calculated)[3] |
| 10.7419±0.0002h[7] 21.455±0.005 h[8] | |
| 0.24(assumed)[3] 0.241±0.021[6] 0.2790±0.0288[5] 0.511±0.057[4] | |
| S[3] | |
| 12.4[1][3] · 12.50[5][6] | |
1790 Volkov, provisional designation1967 ER, is a stony Florianasteroid from the inner regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 8 kilometers in diameter.
It was discovered on 9 March 1967, by Russian astronomerLyudmila Chernykh atCrimean Astrophysical Observatory in Nauchnyj, on the Crimean peninsula, and named after cosmonautVladislav Volkov.[2][9]
Volkov is a stonyS-type asteroid and member of theFlora family, one of the largest populations of inner main-belt asteroids. It orbits the Sun in theinner main-belt at a distance of 2.0–2.5 AU once every 3 years and 4 months (1,223 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.10 and aninclination of 5° with respect to theecliptic.[1] First identified as1926 AB atHeidelberg Observatory,Volkov'sobservation arc is extended by 41 years prior to its official discovery observation.[9]
Two rotationallightcurves ofVolkov were obtained from photometric observations by Robert Stephens and by French amateur astronomerPierre Antonini in early 2007. The lightcurves gave arotation period of 10.7419 and 21.455 hours with a brightness variation of 0.09 and 0.14magnitude, respectively (U=3/2).[7][8]
According to the surveys carried out by the JapaneseAkari satellite and NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequentNEOWISE mission,Volkov measures between 7.08 and 8.67 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has analbedo between 0.241 and 0.511.[4][5][6] TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.24 – derived from8 Flora, the largest member and namesake of its family – and calculates a diameter of 8.98 kilometers with anabsolute magnitude of 12.4.[3]
Thisminor planet was named in honor of Russian–Soviet cosmonautVladislav Volkov, flight engineer of theSoyuz 11 spacecraft, who died at the age of 35 during the vehicle's return to Earth after completing the flight program of theSalyut station on 30 June 1971. The lunar craterVolkov is also named after him. The minor planets1789 Dobrovolsky and1791 Patsayev were named in honour of his dead crew members.[2]
The names of all three cosmonauts are also engraved on the plaque next to the sculpture of theFallen Astronaut on the Moon, which was placed there during theApollo 15 mission, containing the names of eight American astronauts and six Soviet cosmonauts, who had all died in service. The officialnaming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 1 July 1972 (M.P.C. 3296).[10]
