3073 Kursk
asteroid
3073 Kursk, provisionally known as 1979 SW11, is a stony Florian asteroid and synchronous binary system from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 4.7 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 24 September 1979, by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Chernykh at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in Nauchnyj, on the Crimean peninsula.
Orbit and characterization
Kursk is a member of the Flora family, one of the largest families of stony S-type asteroid in the main belt. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.9–2.5 AU once every 3 years and 4 months (1,227 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.14 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic.
The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.24 – derived from 8 Flora, a S-type asteroid and the family's largest member and namesake – and derives a diameter of 4.67 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 13.86.
Satellite
A 1.67 kilometer-large minor-planet moon was discovered orbiting Kursk in 44.96 hours (or 1 day, 20 hours, and 57 minutes).
Naming
This minor planet was named after the old Russian city Kursk. The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 2 July 1985 (M.P.C. 9771).
“3073 Kursk” enters the record as asteroid. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Kursk and asteroid can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“3073 Kursk” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Kursk and asteroid provides the most credible route into that argument.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 6, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q918806. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1979 and 1985.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “3073 Kursk”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow 3073 Kursk primary sources, 3073 Kursk archive and Kursk research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “3073 Kursk”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “3073 Kursk” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.