Radar Observations and the Shape of Near-Earth Asteroid 2008 EV5

Details Radar Observations and the Shape of Near-Earth Asteroid 2008 EV5 Radar Observations and the Shape of Near-Earth Asteroid 2008 EV5

2011-01-19

arxiv.org/abs/1101.3794v1

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

This paper has been accepted for publication in Icarus: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6WGF-5207B2F-4/2/d87cd2a

Scientific paper

We observed the near-Earth asteroid 2008 EV5 with the Arecibo and Goldstone planetary radars and the Very Long Baseline Array during December 2008. EV5 rotates retrograde and its overall shape is a 400 /pm 50 m oblate spheroid. The most prominent surface feature is a ridge parallel to the asteroid's equator that is broken by a concavity 150 m in diameter. Otherwise the asteroid's surface is notably smooth on decameter scales. EV5's radar and optical albedos are consistent with either rocky or stony-iron composition. The equatorial ridge is similar to structure seen on the rubble-pile near-Earth asteroid (66391) 1999 KW4 and is consistent with YORP spin-up reconfiguring the asteroid in the past. We interpret the concavity as an impact crater. Shaking during the impact and later regolith redistribution may have erased smaller features, explaining the general lack of decameter-scale surface structure.

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