Related papers: Extremely young asteroid pair (458271) 2010 UM26 a…
Low-resolution UV-to-visual spectra of two candidate globular clusters in the merger remnant NGC 3921 are presented. These two clusters of apparent magnitude V = 22.2 (Mv = -12.5) lie at projected distances of ~5 kpc from the center and…
We seek evidence of the Yarkovsky effect among Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs) by measuring the Yarkovsky-related orbital drift from the orbital fit. To prevent the occurrence of unreliable detections we employ a high precision dynamical model,…
The potentially hazardous asteroid (101955) 1999 RQ36 has the possibility of collision with the Earth in the latter half of the 22nd century, well beyond the traditional 100-year time horizon for routine impact monitoring. The probabilities…
We present the results of observational campaigns of asteroids performed at Asiago Station of Padova Astronomical Observatory and at M.G. Fracastoro Station of Catania Astrophysical Observatory, as part of the large research programme on…
Accurate measurements of osculating orbital elements are essential in order to understand and model the complex dynamic behavior of Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs). ESA's Gaia mission promises to have great potential in this respect. In this…
The very young brown dwarf candidate ChaHa8 was recently discovered to have a close (~1AU) companion by means of radial velocity monitoring. We present additional radial velocity data obtained with UVES/VLT between 2007 and 2010, which…
The near-Earth asteroid population suggests the existence of an inner Main Belt source of asteroids that belongs to the spectroscopic X-complex and has moderate albedos. The identification of such a source has been lacking so far. We argue…
The young binary system HD 350731 is a noteworthy laboratory for studying early-type binaries with similar components. We present here the analysis of differential multi-color photometric and spectroscopic observations for the double-lined…
The goal of this work is to determine if the dynamics of individual Taurid Complex (TC) objects are consistent with the formation of the complex via fragmentation of a larger body, or if the current orbital affinities between the TC members…
The number of binary asteroids in the near-Earth region might be significantly higher than expected. While Bottke and Melosh (1996) suggested that about 15% of the NEAs are binaries, as indicated from the frequency of double craters, and…
Using astrometric measurements obtained with the FORS2/VLT camera, we are searching for low-mass companions around 20 nearby ultracool dwarfs. With a single-measurement precision of 0.1 milli-arcseconds, our survey is sensitive to a wide…
Determining the size and orbital distribution of the population of near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) is the focus of intense research, with the most recent models converging to a population of approximately $1000$ NEAs larger than 1 km and up to…
W51A is the most active star formation region of the Giant \ion{H}{2} region W51. It harbors the two massive proto-clusters W51e and W51\,IRS2, which are very rare in the Galaxy. We aim to identify the new born massive stars and UCHII…
X-ray observations unveiled various types of radio-silent Isolated Neutron Stars (INSs), phenomenologically very diverse, e.g. the Myr old X-ray Dim INS (XDINSs) and the kyr old magnetars. Although their phenomenology is much diverse, the…
Asteroid pairs, two objects that are not gravitationally bound to one another, but share a common origin, have been discovered in the Main belt and Hungaria populations. Such pairs are of major interest, as the study of their evolution…
We report on our search for genetically related asteroids amongst the near-Earth object (NEO) population - families of NEOs akin to the well known main belt asteroid families. We used the technique proposed by Fu et al. (2005) supplemented…
Asteroid families with ages younger than $1$ Myr offer an interesting possibility of studying the outcomes of asteroid disruptions that are little modified by subsequent evolutionary processes. We analyze a very young asteroid family…
We report on the results of a six-month photometric study of the main-belt binary C-type asteroid 121 Hermione, performed during its 2007 opposition. We took advantage of the rare observational opportunity afforded by one of the annual…
Upon discovery, asteroid (309239) 2007 RW10 was considered a Neptune Trojan candidate. The object is currently listed by the Minor Planet Center as a Centaur but it is classified as a Scattered Disk or Trans-Neptunian Object by others. Now…
We report a statistically significant detection of nongravitational acceleration on the sub-kilometer near-Earth asteroid (523599) 2003 RM. Due to its orbit, 2003 RM experiences favorable observing apparitions every 5 years. Thus, since its…