Shape Models of Small Solar System Bodies

Details Shape Models of Small Solar System Bodies Shape Models of Small Solar System Bodies

Oct 2007

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007dps....39.3512m&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #39, #35.12; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 39, p.483

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Scientific paper

Shape modeling of small solar system bodies, or asteroids, was performed for the first time at the Evelyn L. Egan Observatory. Asteroids, Greek for "star-like," are generally too small to visually distinguish the shape through Earth-bound observations. Therefore, other means such as lightcurve inversion must be employed to learn about their form. In early 2007 two target candidates for an initial shape modeling study, namely 242 Kriemhild and 287 Nephthys, were chosen because past observations had already been obtained at the Egan Observatory to determine their rotational periods. Numerous photometric observations spanning several apparitions and a wide range of phase angles, particularly large angles, are essential for a precise shape model because the asteroid must be observed from different viewing geometries. As a consequence, a concerted effort between several European and American observatories was initiated to increase accuracy. In conjunction with these observatories, data was collected over three apparitions and an assortment of phase angles, with some greater than 20°, on each of the target asteroids.
These data points from relative photometric lightcurves of 242 Kriemhild and 287 Nephthys were imported into the modeling software, which is a derivation of the Kaasalainen algorithm and source code. The Kaasalainen algorithm is a method of forming an asteroid shape model through inversion. Simply put, the program starts with a generic shape and approximate pole orientation. Then it simulates a lightcurve of this form and compares it to the actual lightcurves. If any discrepancies are detected, the software makes the appropriate changes to the current model and the procedure is repeated. Multiple models are generated with different starting pole orientations so that a statistical analysis can be conducted to select the best model and pole orientation. After careful analysis, shape models were found for both target asteroids 242 Kriemhild and 287 Nephthys.

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