Discovered by G. N. Neujmin Alternative names 1913 SQ Observation arc 100.08 yr (36553 d) Orbits Sun Discoverer Grigory Neujmin Moon S/2000 (762) 1 | Discovery date 3 September 1913 Minor planet category Main belt Discovered 3 September 1913 Discovery site Simeiz Observatory | |
 | ||
Aphelion 3.4801 AU (520.62 Gm) (Q) Similar 45 Eugenia, 90 Antiope, 87 Sylvia, 107 Camilla, 121 Hermione | ||
762 Pulcova is a main-belt asteroid. It was discovered by Grigoriy N. Neujmin in 1913, and is named after Pulkovo Observatory, near Saint Petersburg. Pulcova is 137 km in diameter, and is a C-type asteroid, which means that it is dark in colouring with a carbonate composition.
Contents
Photometric observations of this asteroid from Leura, Australia during 2006 gave a light curve with a period of 5.8403 ± 0.0005 hours and a brightness variation of 0.20 ± 0.02 in magnitude. This result is in agreement with previous studies.
Satellite
On February 22, 2000, astronomers at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, discovered a small, 15-km moon (roughly a 10th the size of the primary) orbiting Pulcova at a distance of 800 km. Its orbital period is 4 days. The satellite is about 4 magnitudes fainter than the primary. It was one of the first asteroid moons to be identified.
Density
In the year 2000, Merline estimated Pulcova to have a density of 1.8 g/cm³, which would make it more dense than the trinary asteroid 45 Eugenia, and binary 90 Antiope. But estimates by Marchis in 2008 suggest a density of only 0.90 g/cm³, suggesting it may be a loosely packed rubble pile, not a monolithic object.