2575 Bulgaria
Stony Florian asteroid discovered in 1970
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
2575 Bulgaria, provisional designation 1970 PL, is a stony Florian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 7 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 4 August 1970, by Russian astronomer Tamara Smirnova at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in Nauchnyj, on the Crimean peninsula.[9] It was named for country Bulgaria.[2]
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | T. Smirnova |
| Discovery site | Crimean Astrophysical Obs. |
| Discovery date | 4 August 1970 |
| Designations | |
| (2575) Bulgaria | |
Named after | Bulgaria (European country)[2] |
| 1970 PL · 1970 QD 1977 RQ6 · 1980 PY A923 PB | |
| main-belt · Flora[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 93.80 yr (34,259 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.5157 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.9645 AU |
| 2.2401 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1230 |
| 3.35 yr (1,225 days) | |
| 79.666° | |
| 0° 17m 38.4s / day | |
| Inclination | 4.6737° |
| 321.99° | |
| 287.29° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 6.41±0.29 km[4] 7.08 km (calculated)[3] 8.010±0.065 km[5] |
| 8.6157±0.0082 h[6] 9.480±0.001 h[7] | |
| 0.24 (assumed)[3] 0.2521±0.0375[5] 0.392±0.060[4] | |
| SMASS = Sr[1] · S[3] | |
| 12.466±0.003 (R)[6] · 12.6[5][4] · 12.7[1] · 12.92[3] · 13.31±0.29[8] | |
Classification and orbit
Bulgaria is a member of the Flora family, one of the largest groups of stony asteroids in the main-belt. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 2.0–2.5 AU once every 3 years and 4 months (1,225 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.12 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]
Physical characteristics
In the SMASS taxonomy, Bulgaria has been classified as a Sr-type, which transitions from common S-type asteroids to the rather rare R-type asteroids.[1]
Bulgaria has a rotation period of 8.6 hours[6] and an albedo of 0.24, as assumed by the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link.[3]
Naming
This minor planet was named after the European country Bulgaria. At the time of naming, it was the People's Republic of Bulgaria (1946–1990), a former satellite state of the Soviet Union and member of the Warsaw Pact.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 13 July 1984 (M.P.C. 8912).[10]
