Rotational lightcurve analysis of binary Asteroid (22) Kalliope/Linus

Abstract

Binary asteroids have been insightful to scientists in recent years in their quest to better understand the Solar System in its early stage. Observing a mutual event between a primary and its moon can yield the sizes of the objects in units of the semi-major axis a. When the linear dimensions of the orbit can be known, Kepler's Third Law allows for a solution of the mass. As an example, because the absolute linear scale of (22) Kalliope/Linus is known [1], one can determine the component sizes and reduce error bars on the mass and density of this M-type asteroid. Since the bulk composition is known from spectral data, the porosity of the asteroid can be calculated. Knowing the porosity of the asteroid can give scientists a better understanding of its formation and dynamical evolution. Binary object (22) Kalliope/Linus is a classic example of a system for which this technique can yield valuable results. An observing campaign involving five observers resulted in twenty-eight nights of data. The data were used to create rotational lightcurves, which were scanned for signatures of mutual events.