| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | N. Chernykh |
| Discovery site | Crimean Astrophysical Obs. |
| Discovery date | 11 September 1977 |
| Designations | |
| (3054) Strugatskia | |
Named after | Arkady and Boris Strugatsky[1] (Russian sci-fi authors) |
| 1977 RE7 · 1928 UC 1959 JQ · 1960 OE 1961 VG | |
| main-belt[1][2] · (outer) Themis[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 89.36yr (32,640 d) |
| Aphelion | 3.7446AU |
| Perihelion | 2.4399 AU |
| 3.0923 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2110 |
| 5.44 yr (1,986 d) | |
| 176.03° | |
| 0° 10m 52.68s / day | |
| Inclination | 2.0802° |
| 146.26° | |
| 187.49° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 26.921±0.205 km[4] | |
| 0.056±0.009[4] | |
| 11.7[2] | |
3054 Strugatskia, provisional designation1977 RE7, is a dark Themistianasteroid from the outer regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 27 kilometers (17 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 11 September 1977, by Soviet–Russian astronomerNikolai Chernykh at theCrimean Astrophysical Observatory in Nauchnij, on the Crimean peninsula. The asteroid was named after the brothersArkady and Boris Strugatsky, two Russian science fiction authors.[1]
Strugatskia is a Themistian asteroid that belongs to theThemis family (602),[3] a very largefamily of carbonaceous asteroids, named after24 Themis.[5] It orbits the Sun in theouter asteroid belt at a distance of 2.4–3.7 AU once every 5 years and 5 months (1,986 days;semi-major axis of 3.09 AU). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.21 and aninclination of 2° with respect to theecliptic.[2]
The asteroid was first observed as1928 UC atHeidelberg Observatory in October 1928. The body'sobservation arc begins atGoethe Link Observatory in May 1959, more than 18 years prior to its official discovery observation at Nauchnij.[1]
Although the asteroid'sspectral type is unknown, its albedo indicates acarbonaceous composition, which agrees withC-type classification for the Themistian asteroids.[5]: 23
As of 2018, no rotationallightcurve of Strugatskia has been obtained fromphotometric observations. The body'srotation period,pole and shape remain unknown.[2]
According to the survey carried out by theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Strugatskia measures 26.921 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo of 0.056, typical for carbonaceous asteroids.[4]
Thisminor planet was named after the brothersArkady Strugatsky (1925–1991) andBoris Strugatsky (1933–2012), two Russian science fiction authors who often worked in collaboration. The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 2 July 1985 (M.P.C. 9771).[6]
