Physical characterization of select near-Earth asteroids from one flyby

In recent decades, the number of discovered near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) has been increasing exponentially, and most of them are very small object ranging in size from a few to about 200 m. Due to their small size, they are usually discovered shortly before or during their approach to Earth. A typical observation window for 1 – 2 m telescopes lasts from several hours to several days. Moreover, for most of them, we only have an opportunity to observe them again a few times per century. Short observation windows combined with the complex observation process of near-Earth asteroids (large sky motion) are the reason for the lack of good determination of physical properties for most of them.

Our photometric observations provide the rotation period, color indices, taxonomic type, and, with a sufficiently long observation arc, also phase curves and spin axes. Our main instrument is the 0.7-m RBT telescope in Arizona, but we make many key observations with observers from around the world to extend the observation arc. More about the specifics of NEA observations, results and methodology was published in [1-6]. At the conference, we will present results from observations of a some NEAs.

 

Acknowledgments

This research was funded in whole or in part by the National Science Centre, Poland, Grant No. 2021/41/N/ST9/04259.

 

References

[1] Kwiatkowski et al. (2021) Photometry and model of near-Earth asteroid 2021 DW1 from one apparition, Astronomy & Astrophysics, Volume 656, id. A126, 9 pp.

[2] Kolenczuk et al. (2023) Colour Indices and Taxonomy of Super-Fast Rotating Very Small Near-Earth Asteroid 2015 RN35, Asteroids, Comets, Meteors Conference, held 18 - 23 June 2023 in Flagstaff, USA

[3] Koleńczuk et al. (2023) Determination of colour indices and taxonomy class of small near-Earth asteroids, European Astronomical Society Annual Meeting, held 10 – 14 July 2023, Kraków, Poland

[4] Koleńczuk et al. (2022) Colours and taxonomy of 2022 AB: a super fast rotating near-Earth asteroid, 16th Europlanet Science Congress 2022, held 18 - 23 September 2022, Granada, Spain

[5] Koleńczuk et al. (2021) Determination of colour indices of super-fast rotator near-Earth asteroids, 15th Europlanet Science Congress 2021, held virtually, 13-24 September 2021

[6] Koleńczuk et al (2020) Photometry of super fast rotating, near-Earth asteroid 2015 KW120, 14th Europlanet Science Congress 2020, held virtually, 21 September 2020 - 9 October 2020