Related papers: (216) Kleopatra, a low density critically rotating…
To take full advantage of the September 2008 opposition passage of the M-type asteroid (216) Kleopatra, we have used near-infrared adaptive optics (AO) imaging with the W.M. Keck II telescope to capture unprecedented high resolution images…
To interpret adaptive-optics observations of (216) Kleopatra, we need to describe an evolution of multiple moons, orbiting an extremely irregular body and including their mutual interactions. Such orbits are generally non-Keplerian and…
In this work, we investigate the equilibrium figures of a dumb-bell-shaped sequence with which we are still not well acquainted. Studies have shown that these elongated and nonconvex figures may realistically replace the classic "Roche…
Given the spin state by Magnusson (1990), the shape model by Ostro et al. (2000), and the mass by Descamps et al. (2011), this paper evaluates a dynamically and structurally stable size of Asteroid (216) Kleopatra. In particular, we…
This work presents the simulation results of the radio science experiment onboard the proposed Heavy Metal mission to the M-type asteroid (216) Kleopatra. Earth-based radiometric measurements (range and range-rate), complemented by images…
The Ch-type asteroid (130) Elektra is orbited by three moons, making it the first quadruple system in the main asteroid belt. We aim to characterise the irregular shape of Elektra and construct a complete orbital model of its unique moon…
Asteroid (130) Elektra belongs to one of the six known triple asteroids in the main belt, so its mass has been reliably determined. We aim to use all available disk-resolved images of (130) Elektra obtained by the SPHERE instrument at VLT…
We are interested in the periodic motion and bifurcations near the surface of an asteroid. The gravity field of an irregular asteroid and the equation of motion of a particle near the surface of an asteroid are studied. The periodic motions…
We seek the best size estimates of the asteroid (21) Lutetia, the direction of its spin axis, and its bulk density, assuming its shape is well described by a smooth featureless triaxial ellipsoid, and to evaluate the deviations from this…
The orbit of the outer satellite Alexhelios of (216) Kleopatra is already constrained by adaptive-optics astrometry, obtained with the VLT/SPHERE instrument. However, there is also a preceding occultation event in 1980 attributed to this…
From a set of adaptive optics (AO) observations collected with the W.M. Keck telescope between August and September 2009, we derived the orbital parameters of the most recently discovered satellites of the large C-type asteroid (93)…
We report on observations of near-Earth asteroid 2011 MD with the Spitzer Space Telescope. We have spent 19.9 h of observing time with channel 2 (4.5 {\mu}m) of the Infrared Array Camera and detected the target within the 2{\sigma}…
Every population of small bodies in the Solar system contains a sizable fraction of multiple systems. Among these, the Jupiter Trojans have the lowest number of known binary systems and the least characterized. We aim at characterizing the…
Photometric lightcurves were also obtained for 14 of them during the Spitzer observations to provide the context of the observations and reliable estimates of their absolute magnitudes. The extracted mid-IR spectra were analyzed using a…
We present the analysis of high angular resolution observations of the triple Asteroid (87) Sylvia collected with three 8-10 m class telescopes (Keck, VLT, Gemini North) and the Hubble Space Telescope. The moons' mutual orbits were derived…
The discovery of binary and triple asteroids in addition to the execution of space missions to minor celestial bodies in the past several years have focused increasing attention on periodic orbits around irregular-shaped celestial bodies.…
The population of large asteroids is thought to be primordial and they are the most direct witnesses of the early history of our Solar System. Those satellites allow study of the mass, and hence density and internal structure. We study here…
Polarimetry has the capacity to provide a unique probe of the surface properties of asteroids. Trends in polarization behavior as a function of wavelength trace asteroid regolith mineral properties that are difficult to probe without…
We present the analysis and computational results for the inclination relative effect of moonlets of triple asteroidal systems. Perturbations on moonlets due to the primarys non-sphericity gravity, the solar gravity, and moonlets relative…
The rubble pile spin barrier is an upper limit on the rotation rate of asteroids larger than ~200-300 m. Among thousands of asteroids with diameters larger than ~300 m, only a handful of asteroids are known to rotate faster than 2.0 h, all…