Related papers: Comparing the NEATM with a Rotating, Cratered Ther…
We report the comparison between unresolved reflectance spectroscopy of Solar System small bodies and laboratory measurements on reference surfaces. We measure the bidirectional reflectance spectroscopy of a powder of howardite and a…
Low-albedo, hydrated objects dominate the list of the largest asteroids. These objects have varied spectral shapes in the 3-$\mu$m region, where diagnostic absorptions due to volatile species are found. Dawn's visit to Ceres has extended…
Phase curves of asteroids are typically considered to depend solely on the scattering properties of airless particulate surfaces and the size of the object being studied. In this study, we demonstrate the additional dependence of phase…
Physical studies of asteroids depend on an availability of lightcurve data. Targets that are easy to observe and analyse naturally have more data available, so their synodic periods are confirmed from multiple sources. Also, thanks to…
Context: We use phase curves of small bodies to measure absolute magnitudes and, together with complementary theoretical and laboratory results, to understand their surfaces' micro and macroscopic properties. Although we can observe…
Differential heating and radiation on asymmetric asteroids can cause measurable changes in their rotation rates and spin axes, known as the YORP effect. In binary systems, such radiation-driven torques can change the mutual asteroid orbits,…
In this paper we present the "Small Bodies: Near and Far" Infrared Database, an easy-to-use tool intended to facilitate the modeling of thermal emission of small Solar System bodies. Our database collects thermal emission measurements of…
Deflecting an asteroid from an Earth impact trajectory requires only small velocity changes, typically of the order of microns per second, if done many years ahead of time. For this, a highly precise method of determining the need,…
Characterizing the surface material of an asteroid is important for understanding its geology and for informing mission decisions, such as the selection of a sample site. Diurnal surface temperature amplitudes are directly related to the…
Ceres, the dwarf planet in the main asteroid belt, hosts heavily cratered surfaces where craters are continuously eroded mainly due to impact bombardment with a limited influence by non-impact processes. Over continuous bombardment, such…
Jovian Trojan D-type asteroids have mid-infrared emissivity features strikingly similar to comet comae, suggesting that they have the same compositions and that the surfaces of the Trojans are highly porous. However, a direct comparison…
Understanding the dynamical evolution of asteroids through the secular Yarkovsky effect requires the determination of many physical properties, including the rotation period. We propose a method aimed at obtaining a robust determination of…
Rotation-powered "recycled" millisecond pulsars are a variety of rapidly-spinning neutron stars that typically show thermal X-ray radiation due to the heated surface of their magnetic polar caps. Detailed numerical modeling of the…
Near-Earth asteroid 162173 (1999 JU3) is a potential flyby and rendezvous target for interplanetary missions because of its easy to reach orbit. The physical and thermal properties of the asteroid are relevant for establishing the…
Given a primary interest in "mitigation of the potential hazard" of near-Earth objects impacting the Earth, the subject of characterization takes on an aspect not normally present when considering asteroids as abstract bodies. Many…
We consider the impact of electromagnetic induction and Ohmic heating on a conducting planetary object that orbits a magnetic star. Power dissipated as heat saps orbital energy. If this heat is trapped by an insulating crust or mantle,…
Neutron stars spinning at moderate rates (~300-600Hz) become oblate in shape and acquire a nonzero quadrupole moment. In this paper, we calculate profiles of atomic features from such neutron stars using a ray-tracing algorithm in the…
In recent years, nine small near-Earth asteroids were discovered a few hours before the collision with the Earth: these are about one meter in diameter objects that have all disintegrated in the atmosphere, generating bright fireballs…
Spectral energy distributions for models of arbitrarily rotating stars are computed using two dimensional rotating stellar models, NLTE plane parallel model atmospheres, and a code to integrate the appropriately weighted intensities over…
The metal content of asteroids is of great interest, not only for theories of their origins and the evolution of the solar system but, in the case of near-Earth objects (NEOs), also for impact mitigation planning and endeavors in the field…