Discovered by B. Burnasheva MPC designation 2697 Albina Discovered 9 October 1969 Orbits Sun Asteroid group Asteroid belt | Discovery date 9 October 1969 Minor planet category main-belt · (outer) Absolute magnitude 10.2 Discoverer Bella A. Burnasheva | |
Named after Albina Serova (astronomer) Alternative names 1969 TC3 · 1929 TB
1936 TL · 1938 BE
1939 DE · 1942 RV
1949 SC1 · 1950 YA
1952 DU1 · 1968 OT
1972 BJ · 1975 QR
1975 RG · 1979 FK2
1983 VR1 Discovery site Crimean Astrophysical Observatory People also search for Sun, 2010 Chebyshev, 4109 Anokhin | ||
2697 Albina, provisional designation 1969 TC3, is a carbonaceous asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 52 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 9 October 1969, by Russian astronomer Bella Burnasheva at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, Nauchnyj, on the Crimean peninsula.
The dark C-type body is also classified as a X-type asteroid by the large-scale Pan-STARRS survey. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 3.3–3.8 AU once every 6 years and 9 months (2,456 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.08 and an inclination of 4° with respect to the ecliptic. The first used precovery was taken at the Royal Observatory of Belgium in 1936, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 33 years prior to its discovery. However, it was already imaged at Lowell Observatory in 1929.
A rotational light-curve of this asteroid was obtained from photometric observations made at the U.S. Palomar Transient Factory in October 2010. The light-curve gave a rotation period of 7001165871000000000♠16.5871±0.0165 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.16 in magnitude (U=2), and supersedes a previous period of 7000960000000000000♠9.6 hours from a fragmentary light-curve, obtained by French astronomer Laurent Bernasconi in March 2006 (U=1).
According to the space-based surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) and the Japanese Akari satellite, the asteroid has an albedo of 0.055 and 0.053, with a corresponding diameter of 51.5 and 52.7 kilometers, respectively. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives a lower albedo of 0.039 and a diameter of 51.4 kilometers.
The minor planet was named after Russian astronomer from Moscow, Albina Serova, who is a friend of the discoverer. Naming citation was published on 18 September 1986 (M.P.C. 11156).