The Mission Accessible Near-Earth Objects Survey: Four Years of Photometry
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Thirouin_2018_ApJS_239_4.pdf
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1.82 MB
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Author(s)
Thirouin, Audrey
Moskovitz, Nicholas A.
Christensen, Eric J.
Polishook, David
Thomas, Cristina A.
Trilling, David
Willman, Mark C.
Burt, Brian
Hinkle, Mary L.
Pugh, Teznie
Date Issued
November 2018
Journal
Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
Publisher
IOP Publishing
Citation
Thirouin, Audrey et al. “The Mission Accessible Near-Earth Objects Survey: Four Years of Photometry.” The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 239, 1 (November 2018): 4 © 2018 The American Astronomical Society
Version
Final published version
Abstract
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 20 s, - 2016 MA with a potential rotational periodicity of 18.4 s, and 2017 QG₁₈ rotating in 11.9 s - 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 Δv. Keywords: minor planets; asteroids; general
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
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Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4365/aae1b0
