(1954) Kukarkin Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 15 August 1952 by P. F. Shajn at Simeis.
Named in memory of Boris Vasil'evich Kukarkin (1909-1977), professor of stellar astronomy and astrometry at Moscow State University for many years and a prominent specialist in the fields of variable stars and the structure of stellar systems. He was the initiator and one of the compilers of the “General Catalogue of Variable Stars”, served as Vice President of the Astronomical Council of the U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences from 1947 to 1960, as Vice President of the IAU from 1955 to 1961 and as President of IAU Commission 27 from 1951 to 1958.Naming citation (MPC 5358), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Kukarkin is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Kukarkin is 3.38 au from the Sun and 4.33 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 1954 |
| Provisional designation | 1952 PH |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 13.7 km (#3,497 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.261 |
| Rotation period | 136 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 11.38 |
| Orbital period | 5.02 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.93 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.01 – 3.85 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.315 |
| Inclination | 14.8° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.06 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Boris
- (2126) Gerasimovich
- (5453) Zakharchenya
- (6284) Borisivanov
- (6811) Kashcheev
- (7278) Shtokolov
- (9145) Shustov
- (9148) Boriszaitsev
- (10424) Gaillard
- (10990) Okunev
- (11015) Romanenko
- (14346) Zhilyaev
- (15382) Vian
All asteroids named after someone called Boris