Related papers: Large Halloween Asteroid at Lunar Distance
We observed asteroid (596) Scheila and its ejecta cloud using the Swift UV-optical telescope. We obtained photometry of the nucleus and the ejecta, and for the first time measured the asteroid's reflection spectrum between 290 - 500 nm. Our…
Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs) are a key testbed for investigations into planet formation, asteroid dynamics, and planetary defense initiatives. These studies rely on understanding NEA sizes, albedo distributions, and regolith properties.…
We present lightcurves and derive periods and amplitudes for a subset of 38 near earth objects (NEOs) observed at 4.5 microns with the IRAC camera on the the Spitzer Space Telescope, many of them having no previously reported rotation…
Asteroid (3200) Phaethon is a Near-Earth Apollo asteroid with an unusual orbit that brings it closer to the Sun than any other known asteroid. Its last close approach to the Earth was in mid-December 2017 and the next one will be on October…
Quasi-Hilda asteroid P/2010 H2 (Vales) underwent a spectacular photometric outburst by 7.5 magnitudes (factor of 1000) in 2010. Here, we present our optical observations of this event in the four month period from April 20 to August 10. The…
With the NEOWISE portion of the \emph{Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer} (WISE) project, we have carried out a highly uniform survey of the near-Earth object (NEO) population at thermal infrared wavelengths ranging from 3 to 22 $\mu$m,…
Here were report on a laboratory study aiming to reproduce specificities of near-Earth Asteroid. We study how the elevated surface temperature, their surface roughness (rock or regolith), as well as observation geometry can affect the…
We report on the discovery of an eclipsing dwarf nova (DN) inside the peculiar, bilobed nebula Te 11. Modelling of high-speed photometry of the eclipse finds the accreting white dwarf to have a mass 1.18 M$_\odot$ and temperature 13 kK. The…
Results of astrometric and BVRI photometric observations of the active asteroid (596) Scheila are presented. The observations were carried out at the Zeiss 1000 telescope of the Sanglokh International Astro-nomical Observatory of the…
We obtained N- and Q-band observations of the Apollo-type asteroid 25143 Itokawa during its close Earth approach in July 2004 with TIMMI2 at the ESO 3.6 m telescope. Our photometric measurement, in combination with already published data,…
The LHS 1610 system consists of a nearby ($d=9.7$ pc) M5 dwarf hosting a candidate brown dwarf companion in a $10.6$ day, eccentric ($e \sim 0.37$) orbit. We confirm this brown dwarf designation and estimate its mass ($ 49.5_{-3.5}^{+4.3}$…
We perform a search for dormant comets, asteroidal objects of cometary origin, in the near-Earth asteroid (NEA) population based on dynamical and physical considerations. Our study is based on albedos derived within the ExploreNEOs program…
All near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) that reach sufficiently small perihelion distances will undergo a so-called super-catastrophic disruption. The mechanisms causing such disruptions are currently unknown or, at least, undetermined. To help…
Context. The discovery and tracking of 2018 LA marks only the third instance in history that the parent body of a fireball has been identified before its eventual disintegration in our atmosphere. The subsequent recovery of meteorites from…
Fifteen orbital clusters (associations) were identified among ~20000 near Earth asteroids (NEAs). All associations were found with a high statistical reliability using a single linkage cluster analysis algorithm and three orbital similarity…
2024 PT$_5$ is a tiny ($D\leq10$ m) near-Earth asteroid (NEA) discovered in August 2024. 2024 PT$_5$ was gravitationally bound to the Earth-Moon system from September to November 2024 and classified as a minimoon. Several quick response…
We used low resolution spectroscopy from VLT/FORS1, and high resolution spectra from VLT/UVES, to estimate the physical conditions in the ORs, using nebular analysis for emission lines such as [O II], [O III], [N II], and [S II]. We also…
Thermal inertia determines the temperature distribution over the surface of an asteroid and therefore governs the magnitude the Yarkovsky effect. The latter causes gradual drifting of the orbits of km-sized asteroids and plays an important…
We report the observations of solar system objects during the 2015 campaign of the High cadence Transient Survey (HiTS). We found 5740 bodies (mostly Main Belt asteroids), 1203 of which were detected in different nights and in $g'$ and…
We present estimates of the basic physical properties -- including size and albedo -- of the extreme Centaur 2013 AZ60. These properties have been derived from optical and thermal infrared measurements. Our optical measurements revealed a…