762 Pulcova is a asteroid belt, 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. Photometry (astronomy), Photometric observations of this asteroid from Leura, New South Wales, 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 (astronomy), magnitude. This result is in agreement with previous studies.

Satellite

On February 22, 2000, (Adaptive optics, AO image) astronomers at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, discovered a 15-km moon (roughly a tenth the size of the primary) (mentions both 90 Antiope and 762 Pulcova) orbiting Pulcova at a distance of 800 km. Its orbital period is 4 days. The satellite is about 4 apparent magnitude, magnitudes fainter than the primary. It was one of the first Minor-planet moon, 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.

References

External links

Asteroids with Satellites
Robert Johnston, johnstonsarchive.net * * {{DEFAULTSORT:000762 Background asteroids, 000762 Discoveries by Grigory Neujmin, Pulcova Named minor planets, Pulcova Binary asteroids, 000762 F-type asteroids (Tholen), 000762 Astronomical objects discovered in 1913, 19130903 Astronomical objects discovered in 2000, 20000222