7369 Gavrilin
Stony Phocaean Mars-crosser with a 2.4-km moon.
7369 Gavrilin (provisional designation 1975 AN) is a stony asteroid from the inner asteroid belt, classified as both a member of the Phocaea family and a Mars-crosser. It follows an eccentric orbit, crossing the path of Mars at 1.66 AU, and takes about three years and eight months to circle the Sun at distances ranging from 1.6 to 3.1 AU. The asteroid measures roughly 5.5 kilometers across, making it one of the smaller sizable Mars-crossers (those between 5 and 15 kilometers in diameter). It was discovered on 13 January 1975 by Russian astronomer Tamara Smirnova at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in Nauchnyj, on the Crimean peninsula. The first observation of the object had been made eleven days earlier at the Purple Mountain Observatory. The asteroid is an assumed S-type (stony) body, the most common spectral type in the inner belt, which aligns with the typical composition of the Phocaea family. Its rotation period is unusually long at 49.12 hours, as determined from photometric lightcurve observations in January 2008 by the BINAST group, including David Higgins at Hunters Hill Observatory and Petr Pravec at Ondřejov Observatory. Those same observations revealed that 7369 Gavrilin is a synchronous binary system: it has a moon about 2.41 kilometers in diameter (at least 0.32 times the primary’s size), which orbits the primary in the same 49.12-hour period. The discovery of the satellite was announced in October 2008. Diameter estimates vary. Data from the NEOWISE mission give values of 4.91 and 5.49 kilometers with albedos of 0.27 and 0.28, while a 2017 WISE study of Mars-crossers reports a diameter of 5.51 kilometers despite a higher albedo of 0.305. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard stony albedo of 0.20 and calculates a diameter of 5.74 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 13.61, whereas Johnston’s Archive estimates the primary alone at 7.54 kilometers. The asteroid was numbered on 23 January 1997 (M.P.C. 28817) and named on 24 January 2000 (M.P.C. 38196) after the Russian composer Valery Gavrilin (1939–1999). The name was suggested by the Union of Concert Workers of Russia.
Quick Facts
- Minorplanet
- yes
- Background
- #FA8072
- Discoverer
- T. Smirnova
- Discovery Site
- Crimean Astrophysical Obs.
- Discovered
- 13 January 1975
- Mpc Name
- (7369) Gavrilin
- Pronounced
- g · @ · v · ' · r · iː · l · I · n
- Named After
- Valery Gavrilin (Гаври́лин) / (Russian composer)
- Mp Category
- Mars-crosser / Phocaeabinary
- Epoch
- 27 April 2019 (JD 2458600.5)
- Uncertainty
- 0
- Observation Arc
- 43.79 yr (15,995 d)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Gavrilin is both a member of the main belt's Phocaea family (701) and a Mars-crossing asteroid, crossing the orbit of Mars at 1.66 AU. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.6–3.1 AU once every 3 years and 8 months (1,332 days; semi-major axis 2.37 AU), with an eccentricity of 0.32 and an inclination of 22°. The body's observation arc begins with its first observation as 1975 AN at the Purple Mountain Observatory in January 1975, eleven days prior to its official discovery observation, 1975 AX by Tamara Smirnova at Nauchnyj. The asteroid was numbered on 23 January 1997 (M.P.C. 28817) and named after Russian composer Valery Gavrilin (1939–1999), suggested by the Union of Concert Workers of Russia; the naming citation was published on 24 January 2000 (M.P.C. 38196). It is an assumed stony S-type asteroid, the most common spectral type in the inner asteroid belt.
Reader's Guide
Gavrilin is significant as a binary asteroid and a sizable Mars-crosser, with a diameter of about 5.5 kilometers, placing it among the smaller members of the 'sizable' Mars-crossers (5–15 km). Its discovery as a binary system in 2008 added to the understanding of asteroid satellite formation and dynamics, particularly among Mars-crossing populations. The asteroid's long rotation period of 49.12 hours is unusual for its size and class, and the synchronous orbit of its moon provides insights into tidal evolution. The naming after composer Valery Gavrilin links the asteroid to Russian cultural heritage. The multiple diameter estimates from NEOWISE (4.91–5.49 km), a 2017 WISE study (5.51 km), the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (5.74 km), and Johnston's Archive (7.54 km for the primary) reflect ongoing uncertainty in physical characterization. As a Phocaean and Mars-crosser, Gavrilin occupies a dynamically unstable region, offering clues about the transition between main-belt and near-Earth objects.
Did You Know?
- It is a binary asteroid with a moon about 2.41 km in diameter, announced in October 2008.
- The asteroid has a long rotation period of 49.12 hours, determined from photometric observations in January 2008.
- It was named after Russian composer Valery Gavrilin (1939–1999), with the naming citation published on 24 January 2000.
More in Notable Asteroids, Part 3 1-24
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