10711 Pskov, provisional designation 1982 TT2, is a dark asteroid from the middle region of the asteroid belt, approximately 13 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 15 October 1982, by Soviet astronomer Lyudmila Zhuravleva at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in Nauchnij, on the Crimean peninsula, and later named for the Russian city of Pskov.[2][4]
Orbit and classification
Pskov orbits the Sun in the central main-belt at a distance of 2.1–3.3 AU once every 4 years and 6 months (1,657 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.22 and an inclination of 12° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] The body's observation arc begins 27 years prior to its official discovery observation, with a precovery taken at Palomar Observatory in November 1955.[4]
Physical characteristics
According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Pskov measures 13.01 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has an albedo of 0.076, which is rather typical for a carbonaceous C-type asteroid of the main-belt.[3]
This minor planet was named in honor of the old Russian city of Pskov, located near the border to Estonia, where Velikaya River enters Lake Peipus (Pskov lake). The city was first mentioned in the 10th century, and is now an administrative, industrial and cultural center.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 24 July 2002 (M.P.C. 46102).[6]
