1059 Mussorgskia

1059 Mussorgskia, provisional designation, is a background asteroid from the central regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 25 km in diameter. It was discovered on 19 July 1925, by Soviet astronomer Vladimir Albitsky at the Simeiz Observatory on the Crimean peninsula. The asteroid was named for Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky. The X- or C-type asteroid has a rotation period of 5.636 hours.

Orbit and classification
Mussorgskia is a non-family asteroid from the main belt's background population. It orbits the Sun in the central asteroid belt at a distance of 2.1–3.1 AU once every 4 years and 3 months (1,567 days; semi-major axis of 2.64 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.19 and an inclination of 10° with respect to the ecliptic.

The asteroid was first observed as at Simeiz in May 1916. The body's observation arc begins as at Heidelberg Observatory in April 1920, or more than 5 years prior to its official discovery observation at Simeiz.

Physical characteristics
Mussorgskia has been characterized as a common X-type asteroid by Pan-STARRS' photometric survey. It is also characterized as a carbonaceous C-type asteroid in the SDSS-MFB (Masi Foglia Binzel) taxonomy.

Rotation period
In May 2002, two rotational lightcurves of Mussorgskia were obtained from photometric observations by Stephen Brincat at the Flarestar Observatory in Malta and by French amateur astronomer René Roy. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 5.519 and 5.6362 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.20 and 0.21 magnitude, respectively (U=2/3). The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link adopts a period of 5.636 hours and a brightness variation between 0.2 and 0.21 magnitude (U=3).

Diameter and albedo
According to the surveys carried out by the Japanese Akari satellite and the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Mussorgskia measures between 17.54 and 30.323 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.1010 and 0.23.

CALL assumes a standard albedo for carbonaceous asteroids of 0.057 and consequently calculates a larger diameter of 36.78 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 10.9.

Naming
This minor planet was named after Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky (1839–1881). The official was published by the Minor Planet Center in November 1952 (M.P.C. 837).