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121. Near-Earth asteroids & QSOs close approaches
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/509/A27
Title:
Near-Earth asteroids & QSOs close approaches
Short Name:
J/A+A/509/A27
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
We investigated the link between the International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF) and the dynamical reference frame realized by the ephemerides of the Solar System bodies. We propose a procedure that implies a selection of events for asteroids with accurately determined orbits crossing the CCD field containing selected quasars. Using a Bulirsch-Stoer numerical integrator, we constructed 8-years (2010-2018) ephemerides for a set of 836 numbered near-Earth asteroids (NEAs). We searched for close encounters (within a typical field of view of groundbased telescopes) between our selected set of asteroids and quasars with high-accuracy astrometric positions extracted from the Large Quasars Astrometric Catalog (LQAC). In the designated period (2010-2018), we found a number of 2924, 14257, and 6972 close approaches (within 10') between asteroids with a minimum solar elongation value of 60 degrees and quasars from the ICRF-Ext2, the Very Large Baseline Array Calibrator Survey (VLBA-CS), and the Very Large Array (VLA), respectively. This large number of close encounters provides the observational basis needed to investigate the link between the dynamical reference frame and the ICRF.
122. Near-Earth Object Survey (MANOS) spectroscopy
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/158/196
Title:
Near-Earth Object Survey (MANOS) spectroscopy
Short Name:
J/AJ/158/196
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
The Mission Accessible Near-Earth Object Survey (MANOS) aims to observe and characterize small (mean absolute magnitude H~25 mag) Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) that are accessible by spacecraft (mean {Delta}~5.7 km/s) and that make close approaches with the Earth (mean Minimum Orbital Intersection Distance MOID ~0.03 au). We present here the first results of the MANOS visible spectroscopic survey. The spectra were obtained from August 2013 to March 2018 at Lowell Observatory's Discovery Channel 4.3 m telescope, and both Gemini North and South facilities. In total, 210 NEOs have been observed and taxonomically classified. Our taxonomic distribution shows significant variations with respect to surveys of larger objects. We suspect these to be due to a dependence of Main Belt source regions on object size. Compared to previous surveys of larger objects, we report a lower fraction of S+Q-complex asteroids of 43.8+/-4.6%. We associate this decrease with a lack of Phocaea family members at very small size. We also report higher fractions of X-complex and A-type asteroids of 23.8+/-3.3% and 3.8+/-1.3% respectively due to an increase of Hungaria family objects at small size. We find a strong correlation between the Q/S ratio and perihelion distance. We suggest this correlation is due to planetary close encounters with Venus playing a major role in turning asteroids from S to Q-type. This hypothesis is supported by a similar correlation between the Q/S ratio and Venus MOID.
123. Near-Earth Object Survey (MANOS): 4yrs photometry
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJS/239/4
Title:
Near-Earth Object Survey (MANOS): 4yrs photometry
Short Name:
J/ApJS/239/4
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
Over 4.5 years, the Mission Accessible Near-Earth Object Survey assembled 228 near-Earth object (NEO) light curves. We report rotational light curves for 82 NEOs, constraints on amplitudes and periods for 21 NEOs, light curves with no detected variability within the image signal-to-noise and length of our observing block for 30 NEOs, and 10 tumblers. We uncovered two ultra-rapid rotators with periods below 20s,--2016 MA with a potential rotational periodicity of 18.4s, and 2017 QG18 rotating in 11.9s--and estimated the fraction of fast/ultra-rapid rotators undetected in our project plus the percentage of NEOs with a moderate/long periodicity undetectable during our typical observing blocks. We summarize the findings of a simple model of synthetic NEOs to infer the object's morphology distribution using the measured distribution of light curve amplitudes. This model suggests that a uniform distribution of axis ratio can reproduce the observed sample. This suggests that the quantity of spherical NEOs (e.g., Bennu) is almost equivalent to the quantity of highly elongated objects (e.g., Itokawa), a result that can be directly tested thanks to shape models from Doppler delay radar imaging analysis. Finally, we fully characterized two NEOs-2013 YS2 and 2014 FA7-as appropriate targets for a potential robotic/human mission due to their moderate spin periods and low {Delta}v.
124. NEOWISE magnitudes for near-Earth objects
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/792/30
Title:
NEOWISE magnitudes for near-Earth objects
Short Name:
J/ApJ/792/30
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) spacecraft has been brought out of hibernation and has resumed surveying the sky at 3.4 and 4.6 {mu}m. The scientific objectives of the NEOWISE reactivation mission are to detect, track, and characterize near-Earth asteroids and comets. The search for minor planets resumed on 2013 December 23, and the first new near-Earth object (NEO) was discovered 6 days later. As an infrared survey, NEOWISE detects asteroids based on their thermal emission and is equally sensitive to high and low albedo objects; consequently, NEOWISE-discovered NEOs tend to be large and dark. Over the course of its three-year mission, NEOWISE will determine radiometrically derived diameters and albedos for ~2000 NEOs and tens of thousands of Main Belt asteroids. The 32 months of hibernation have had no significant effect on the mission's performance. Image quality, sensitivity, photometric and astrometric accuracy, completeness, and the rate of minor planet detections are all essentially unchanged from the prime mission's post-cryogenic phase.
125. NEOWISE observations of 105 near-Earth objects
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/784/110
Title:
NEOWISE observations of 105 near-Earth objects
Short Name:
J/ApJ/784/110
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
Only a very small fraction of the asteroid population at size scales comparable to the object that exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia has been discovered to date, and physical properties are poorly characterized. We present previously unreported detections of 105 close approaching near-Earth objects (NEOs) by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission's NEOWISE project. These infrared observations constrain physical properties such as diameter and albedo for these objects, many of which are found to be smaller than 100m. Because these objects are intrinsically faint, they were detected by WISE during very close approaches to the Earth, often at large apparent on-sky velocities. We observe a trend of increasing albedo with decreasing size, but as this sample of NEOs was discovered by visible light surveys, it is likely that selection biases against finding small, dark NEOs influence this finding.
126. NEOWISE observations of NEOs: preliminary results
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/743/156
Title:
NEOWISE observations of NEOs: preliminary results
Short Name:
J/ApJ/743/156
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
With the NEOWISE portion of the 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 22um, allowing us to refine estimates of their numbers, sizes, and albedos. The NEOWISE survey detected NEOs the same way whether they were previously known or not, subject to the availability of ground-based follow-up observations, resulting in the discovery of more than 130 new NEOs. The survey's uniform sensitivity, observing cadence, and image quality have permitted extrapolation of the 428 near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) detected by NEOWISE during the fully cryogenic portion of the WISE mission to the larger population. We find that there are 981+/-19 NEAs larger than 1km and 20500+/-3000 NEAs larger than 100m. We show that the Spaceguard goal of detecting 90% of all 1km NEAs has been met, and that the cumulative size distribution is best represented by a broken power law with a slope of 1.32+/-0.14 below 1.5km. This power-law slope produces ~13200+/-1900 NEAs with D>140m. Although previous studies predict another break in the cumulative size distribution below D~50-100m, resulting in an increase in the number of NEOs in this size range and smaller, we did not detect enough objects to comment on this increase. The overall number for the NEA population between 100 and 1000m is lower than previous estimates. The numbers of near-Earth comets and potentially hazardous NEOs will be the subject of future work.
127. NEOWISE reactivation mission: 2nd yr data
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/152/63
Title:
NEOWISE reactivation mission: 2nd yr data
Short Name:
J/AJ/152/63
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
The Near-Earth Object Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) mission continues to detect, track, and characterize minor planets. We present diameters and albedos calculated from observations taken during the second year since the spacecraft was reactivated in late 2013. These include 207 near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) and 8885 other asteroids. Of the NEAs, 84% NEAs did not have previously measured diameters and albedos by the NEOWISE mission. Comparison of sizes and albedos calculated from NEOWISE measurements with those measured by occultations, spacecraft, and radar-derived shapes shows accuracy consistent with previous NEOWISE publications. Diameters and albedos fall within +/-~20% and +/-~40%, 1-sigma, respectively, of those measured by these alternate techniques. NEOWISE continues to preferentially discover near-Earth objects which are large (>100m), and have low albedos.
128. NEOWISE Reactivation mission: 1st yr data
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/814/117
Title:
NEOWISE Reactivation mission: 1st yr data
Short Name:
J/ApJ/814/117
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
We present preliminary diameters and albedos for 7956 asteroids detected in the first year of the NEOWISE Reactivation mission. Of those, 201 are near-Earth asteroids and 7755 are Main Belt or Mars-crossing asteroids. 17% of these objects have not been previously characterized using the Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or "NEOWISE" thermal measurements. Diameters are determined to an accuracy of ~20% or better. If good-quality H magnitudes are available, albedos can be determined to within ~40% or better.
129. NEOWISE: thermal model fits for NEOs and MBAs
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/154/168
Title:
NEOWISE: thermal model fits for NEOs and MBAs
Short Name:
J/AJ/154/168
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
The Near-Earth ObjectWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) reactivation mission has completed its third year of surveying the sky in the thermal infrared for near-Earth asteroids and comets. NEOWISE collects simultaneous observations at 3.4 and 4.6 {mu}m of solar system objects passing through its field of regard. These data allow for the determination of total thermal emission from bodies in the inner solar system, and thus the sizes of these objects. In this paper, we present thermal model fits of asteroid diameters for 170 NEOs and 6110 Main Belt asteroids (MBAs) detected during the third year of the survey, as well as the associated optical geometric albedos. We compare our results with previous thermal model results from NEOWISE for overlapping sample sets, as well as diameters determined through other independent methods, and find that our diameter measurements for NEOs agree to within 26% (1{sigma}) of previously measured values. Diameters for the MBAs are within 17% (1{sigma}). This brings the total number of unique near-Earth objects characterized by the NEOWISE survey to 541, surpassing the number observed during the fully cryogenic mission in 2010.
130. New asteroid models
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/620/A91
Title:
New asteroid models
Short Name:
J/A+A/620/A91
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
In addition to stellar data, Gaia Data Release 2 (DR2) also contains accurate astrometry and photometry of about 14000 asteroids covering 22 months of observations. We used Gaia asteroid photometry to reconstruct rotation periods, spin axis directions, and the coarse shapes of a subset of asteroids with enough observations. One of our aims was to test the reliability of the models with respect to the number of data points and to check the consistency of these models with independent data. Another aim was to produce new asteroid models to enlarge the sample of asteroids with known spin and shape. We used the lightcurve inversion method to scan the period and pole parameter space to create final shape models that best reproduce the observed data. To search for the sidereal rotation period, we also used a simpler model of a geometrically scattering triaxial ellipsoid. By processing about 5400 asteroids with at least ten observations in DR2, we derived models for 173 asteroids, 129 of which are new. Models of the remaining asteroids were already known from the inversion of independent data, and we used them for verification and error estimation. We also compared the formally best rotation periods based on Gaia data with those derived from dense lightcurves. We show that a correct rotation period can be determined even when the number of observations N is less than 20, but the rate of false solutions is high. For N>30, the solution of the inverse problem is often successful and the parameters are likely to be correct in most cases. These results are very promising because the final Gaia catalogue should contain photometry for hundreds of thousands of asteroids, typically with several tens of data points per object, which should be sufficient for reliable spin reconstruction.