Pre-discovery observations of disrupting asteroid P/2010 A2
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Jewitt-2011-PRE-DISCOVERY OBSERV.pdf
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3.01 MB
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Adobe PDF
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Author(s)
Jewitt, David
Li, Jing
Stuart, J. Scott
Date Issued
June 2011
Journal
Astronomical Journal
Publisher
IOP Publishing
Citation
Jewitt, David, Joseph S. Stuart, and Jing Li. “Pre-discovery Observations of Disrupting Asteroid P/2010 A2.” The Astronomical Journal 142, no. 1 (June 13, 2011): 28. © 2011 The American Astronomical Society
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Solar system object P/2010 A2 is the first-noticed example of the aftermath of a recently disrupted asteroid, probably resulting from a collision. Nearly a year elapsed between its inferred initiation in early 2009 and its eventual detection in early 2010. Here, we use new observations to assess the factors underlying the visibility, especially to understand the delayed discovery. We present pre-discovery observations from the LINEAR telescope and set limits to the early-time brightness from SOHO and STEREO satellite coronagraphic images. Consideration of the circumstances of discovery of P/2010 A2 suggests that similar objects must be common, and that future all-sky surveys will reveal them in large numbers.
MIT Department
Lincoln Laboratory
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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.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-6256/142/1/28
