3703 Volkonskaya
Vestian binary asteroid with a 1.4-km moon discovered in 2005.
3703 Volkonskaya, initially designated 1978 PU3, is a small asteroid from the inner main belt, measuring roughly 4 kilometers across. It belongs to the Vesta family and is an asynchronous binary system. The object was discovered on 9 August 1978 by Soviet astronomers Lyudmila and Nikolai Chernykh at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in Nauchnij. Its name honors Russian princess Mariya Volkonskaya, who followed her Decembrist husband into Siberian exile.
Orbitally, Volkonskaya circles the Sun at distances between 2.0 and 2.6 AU, completing one revolution every 3 years and 7 months (1,301 days) on a semi-major axis of 2.33 AU. Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.13 and an inclination of 7° relative to the ecliptic. While classified as a Vestian asteroid—implying a composition similar to eucrite meteorites and an origin deep within the crust of 4 Vesta, possibly from the Rheasilvia crater—it also falls within the Flora family based on osculating orbital elements. The first recorded observation was a precovery from Palomar Observatory in August 1953, 25 years before its official discovery.
Physically, Volkonskaya is a V-type asteroid. Photometric observations in June 1996 by William Ryan yielded a rotation period of 3.235 hours and a brightness variation of 0.22 magnitude. Data from the NEOWISE mission give a diameter of 3.729 kilometers and a surface albedo of 0.242. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link, assuming an albedo of 0.24 derived from 8 Flora, calculates a diameter of 4.11 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 14.1.
The asteroid is also a binary system. Ryan’s photometry revealed a minor-planet moon orbiting every 24 hours at an estimated average distance of 7.8 kilometers. Mutual occultation events suggest the satellite is about 1.39 kilometers in diameter—roughly 40% the size of the primary. The discovery was announced in December 2005.
The minor planet received its number on 7 October 1987, and the naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 25 September 1988.
Quick Facts
- Minorplanet
- yes
- Background
- #D6D6D6
- Discoverer
- L. Chernykh / N. Chernykh
- Discovery Site
- Crimean Astrophysical Obs.
- Discovered
- 9 August 1978
- Mpc Name
- (3703) Volkonskaya
- Named After
- Mariya Volkonskaya / (Russian princess)
- Mp Category
- main-belt(inner) / VestaFlora
- Epoch
- 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5)
- Uncertainty
- 0
- Observation Arc
- 64.21 yr (23,451 d)
- Aphelion
- 2.6433 AU
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
3703 Volkonskaya is a member of the Vesta family (401) based on proper orbital elements, and has also been classified as a member of the Flora family (402) based on osculating Keplerian orbital elements. It orbits the Sun in the inner asteroid belt at a distance of 2.0–2.6 AU once every 3 years and 7 months (1,301 days; semi-major axis of 2.33 AU), with an eccentricity of 0.13 and an inclination of 7°. The body's observation arc begins with a precovery taken at the Palomar Observatory in August 1953, 25 years prior to its official discovery.
Photometric observations by American astronomer William Ryan in June 1996 gave a well-defined rotation period of 3.235 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.22 magnitude. The asteroid measures 3.729 kilometers in diameter with an albedo of 0.242 according to NEOWISE, while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.24 and calculates a diameter of 4.11 kilometers. The asteroid is named after Russian princess Mariya Volkonskaya (1805–1865), who voluntarily followed her husband, a Decembrist general, into Siberian exile. The naming citation was published on 25 September 1988.
Reader's Guide
3703 Volkonskaya is significant as an asynchronous binary asteroid, with its satellite discovered in December 2005 through photometric observations by William Ryan and collaborators. The moon orbits every 24 hours at an estimated average distance of 7.8 km, with mutual occultation events suggesting a satellite diameter of 1.39 km, about 40% the size of the primary. As a Vestian asteroid, it shares a composition akin to cumulate eucrites (HED meteorites) and is thought to have originated deep within 4 Vesta's crust, possibly from the Rheasilvia crater. Its dual classification as both a Vesta family and Flora family member reflects differing analytical methods. The asteroid's legacy includes its role in binary asteroid studies and its connection to the historical figure Mariya Volkonskaya, a Russian princess remembered for her devotion to her exiled husband.
Did You Know?
- The asteroid's moon was discovered in December 2005 and has an estimated diameter of 1.39 km.
- A precovery observation from August 1953 at Palomar Observatory exists, 25 years before its official discovery.
More in Notable Asteroids, Part 2 1-24
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