2726 Kotelnikov is a numbered minor planet located in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It was assigned the permanent designation 2726 after its orbit was sufficiently well determined.
Discovery
The asteroid was discovered on 13 March 1975 by Soviet astronomer Nikolai S. Chernykh at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory (IAU observatory code 095). The discovery observation was later linked with earlier pre‑cover images, allowing the object's orbit to be computed with high precision.
Orbital classification
2726 Kotelnikov is classified as a main‑belt asteroid. Its orbit lies in the inner region of the belt, with a semi‑major axis of approximately 2.3 AU, an orbital period of about 3.8 years, and an inclination of a few degrees to the ecliptic. (Exact orbital elements are published by the Minor Planet Center and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Small‑Body Database.)
Naming
The minor planet was named in honor of Vladimir Kotelnikov (1908 – 2005), a Soviet radio‑engineer, mathematician, and information‑theorist. Kotelnikov is best known for formulating the sampling theorem that underlies modern digital signal processing; the result is often referred to as the Nyquist–Shannon–Kotelnikov theorem. The naming citation was issued by the Working Group for Small Body Nomenclature of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1992.
Physical characteristics
As of the latest observations, the asteroid’s absolute magnitude (H) is listed as 13.5, suggesting a diameter on the order of 8–12 km, assuming a typical albedo for S‑type asteroids. No detailed spectroscopic classification or rotational light‑curve data have been published for 2726 Kotelnikov.
References
- Minor Planet Center, "MPC 2726 Kotelnikov," https://minorplanetcenter.net/
- JPL Small‑Body Database Browser, "2726 Kotelnikov," https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/
- IAU Working Group for Small Body Nomenclature, Naming citation for 2726 Kotelnikov (1992).