| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | L. V. Zhuravleva |
| Discovery site | Crimean Astrophysical Obs. |
| Discovery date | 4 September 1972 |
| Designations | |
| (1859) Kovalevskaya | |
Named after | Sofia Kovalevskaya (Russian mathematician)[2] |
| 1972 RS2 · 1932 RD 1941 BQ · 1942 HH 1949 PU · 1949 QW 1950 TM4 · 1953 EK1 1966 PC1 · A915 TK | |
| main-belt · (outer)[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 101.37 yr (37,027 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.5272AU |
| Perihelion | 2.8909 AU |
| 3.2091 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0991 |
| 5.75yr (2,100 days) | |
| 38.805° | |
| 0° 10m 17.04s / day | |
| Inclination | 7.7011° |
| 343.30° | |
| 244.92° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 34.40 km(calculated)[3] 44.634±0.097[4] 46.02±1.6 km(IRAS:14)[5] 48.798±0.424 km[6] |
| 11.1084±0.0066h[7] | |
| 0.0427±0.0077[6] 0.053±0.006[4] 0.057(assumed)[3] 0.0694±0.005(IRAS:14)[5] | |
| C[3] | |
| 10.6[6] · 10.7[1] · 11.05[3] · 11.1084±0.0066(R)[7] | |
1859 Kovalevskaya, provisional designation1972 RS2, is a carbonaceousasteroid from the outer regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 40 kilometers in diameter.
It was discovered on 4 September 1972, by Russian–Ukrainian astronomerLyudmila Zhuravleva at theCrimean Astrophysical Observatory in Nauchnyj, on the Crimean peninsula.[8] The asteroid was named after Russian mathematicianSofia Kovalevskaya.[2]
Kovalevskaya orbits the Sun in theouter main-belt at a distance of 2.9–3.5 AU once every 5 years and 9 months (2,100 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.10 and aninclination of 8° with respect to theecliptic.[1]
It was first identified asA915 TK atHeidelberg Observatory in 1915, extending the asteroid'sobservation arc by 57 years prior to its official discovery observation at Nauchnyj.[8]
Kovalevskaya has been characterized as a darkC-type asteroid.[3]
In September 2013, photometric observations at thePalomar Transient Factory, California, gave a rotationallightcurve with aperiod of11.1084±0.0066 hours and a brightness variation of 0.13 inmagnitude (U=2).[7]
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) and theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Kovalevskaya measures between 44.6 and 48.8 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has a lowalbedo between 0.043 and 0.069.[4][5][6]
TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for carbonaceous asteroids of 0.057 and calculates a smaller diameter of 34.4 kilometers with anabsolute magnitude of 11.05.[3]
Thisminor planet was named after the first major Russian mathematician,Sofia Kovalevskaya (1850–1891), who has made important contributions to partial differential equations and rigid body motion(also seeKovalevskaya top). The lunar craterKovalevskaya is also named after her.[2] The officialnaming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 1 June 1975 (M.P.C. 3826).[9]
From 1972 to 1992, the discoverer of this asteroid, Lyudmila Zhuravleva, has made more than 200 minor planets discoveries, and ranks 61st on theMinor Planet Center discoverer chart.[10]
