1910 Mikhailov, provisional designation , is a carbonaceous

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet—an object larger than a meteoroid that is neither a planet nor an identified comet—that orbits within the Solar System#Inner Solar System, inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). As ...

from the outer regions of the

asteroid belt The asteroid belt is a torus-shaped region in the Solar System, centered on the Sun and roughly spanning the space between the orbits of the planets Jupiter and Mars. It contains a great many solid, irregularly shaped bodies called asteroids ...

, approximately in diameter. Discovered at Nauchnyj in 1972, it was named after Russian astronomer Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Mikhailov. It has a 3:1 ratio of iron to carbon, hence the name. The asteroid is believed to have been expelled from its parent asteroid belt (one of three main asteroid belts in the inner Solar System), and is classified as a metallic asteroid, because its iron is fairly weak.

Discovery

''Mikhailov'' was discovered on 8 October 1972, by Ukrainian astronomer

Lyudmila Zhuravleva Lyudmila Vasilyevna Zhuravleva (, ; born 22 May 1946) is a Soviet Union, Soviet, Russian and Ukraine, Ukrainian astronomer, who worked at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in Nauchnij, where she discovered 213 minor planets. She also serves a ...

at the

Crimean Astrophysical Observatory The Crimean Astrophysical Observatory (CrAO, obs. code: 095) is located at Nauchnij research campus, near the Central Crimean city of Bakhchysarai, on the Crimean peninsula. CrAO is often called simply by its location and campus name ...

in Nauchnyj, on the Crimean peninsula. Zhuravleva is ranked 61 in Harvard's ranking of those who discovered minor planets. Detween 1972 and 1992, She discovered 200 such bodies, 13 of which were co-discoveries.

Orbit and classification

The

C-type asteroid C-type (carbonaceous ) asteroids are the most common variety, forming around 75% of known asteroids. They are volatile-rich and distinguished by a very low albedo because their composition includes a large amount of carbon, in addition to rocks ...

is a non-

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

asteroid that belongs to the background population of the main belt. It orbits the Sun in the outer asteroid belt at a distance of 2.9–3.2 AU once every 5 years and 4 months (1,939 days;

semi-major axis In geometry, the major axis of an ellipse is its longest diameter: a line segment that runs through the center and both foci, with ends at the two most widely separated points of the perimeter. The semi-major axis (major semiaxis) is the longe ...

of 3.04 AU). Its orbit has an

eccentricity Eccentricity or eccentric may refer to: * Eccentricity (behavior), odd behavior on the part of a person, as opposed to being "normal" Mathematics, science and technology Mathematics * Off-Centre (geometry), center, in geometry * Eccentricity (g ...

of 0.05 and an

inclination Orbital inclination measures the tilt of an object's orbit around a celestial body. It is expressed as the angle between a reference plane and the orbital plane or axis of direction of the orbiting object. For a satellite orbiting the Eart ...

of 10 ° with respect to the

ecliptic The ecliptic or ecliptic plane is the orbital plane of Earth's orbit, Earth around the Sun. It was a central concept in a number of ancient sciences, providing the framework for key measurements in astronomy, astrology and calendar-making. Fr ...

Physical characteristics

It has a rotation period of 8.88 hours and a low

geometric albedo In astronomy, the geometric albedo of a celestial body is the ratio of its actual brightness as seen from the light source (i.e. at zero phase angle (astronomy), phase angle) to that of an ''idealized'' flat, fully reflecting, diffuse reflection, d ...

of 0.05.

Naming

The asteroid was named in honor of prominent Russian astronomer Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Mikhailov (1888–1983), a gravimetrist and academician, who was vice-president of the

International Astronomical Union The International Astronomical Union (IAU; , UAI) is an international non-governmental organization (INGO) with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreach, education, and developmen ...

, director of the

Pulkovo Observatory The Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory (), officially named the Central Astronomical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences at Pulkovo, is the principal astronomical observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It is located 19 km south ...

, a member of the

Soviet Academy of Sciences The Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union was the highest scientific institution of the Soviet Union from 1925 to 1991. It united the country's leading scientists and was subordinated directly to the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (un ...

and president of its Astronomical Council. The official was published by the

Minor Planet Center The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Funct ...

on 20 February 1976 ().

References

External links

Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB)
(query form)
Dictionary of Minor Planet Names
Google books * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mikhailov 001910 Discoveries by Lyudmila Zhuravleva Named minor planets 19721008