| 1. |
- Harju, Jorma, et al.
(author)
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Radio Interferometric Observation of an Asteroid Occultation
- 2018
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In: Astronomical Journal. - : University of Chicago Press. - 0004-6256 .- 1538-3881. ; 156:4, s. 1-10
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The occultation of the radio galaxy 0141+268 by the asteroid(372)Palma on 2017 May 15 was observed using sixantennas of the Very Long Baseline Array(VLBA). The shadow of Palma crossed the VLBA station at Brewster,Washington. Owing to the wavelength used, and the size and the distance of the asteroid, a diffraction pattern in theFraunhofer regime was observed. The measurement retrieves both the amplitude and the phase of the diffractedelectromagnetic wave. This is thefirst astronomical measurement of the phase shift caused by diffraction. Themaximum phase shift is sensitive to the effective diameter of the asteroid. The bright spot at the shadow’s center,the so called Arago–Poisson spot, is clearly detected in the amplitude time-series, and its strength is a goodindicator of the closest angular distance between the center of the asteroid and the radio source. A sample ofrandom shapes constructed using a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm suggests that the silhouette of Palmadeviates from a perfect circle by 26±13%. The best-fitting random shapes resemble each other, and we suggesttheir average approximates the shape of the silhouette at the time of the occultation. The effective diameterobtained for Palma, 192.1±4.8 km, is in excellent agreement with recent estimates from thermal modeling ofmid-infrared photometry. Finally, our computations show that because of the high positional accuracy, a singleradio interferometric occultation measurement can reduce the long-term ephemeris uncertainty by an order ofmagnitude.
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| 2. |
- Edberg, Niklas J. T., et al.
(author)
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The Convective Electric Field Influence on the Cold Plasma and Diamagnetic Cavity of Comet 67P
- 2019
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In: Astronomical Journal. - : Institute of Physics (IOP). - 0004-6256 .- 1538-3881. ; 158:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We studied the distribution of cold electrons (<1 eV) around comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko with respect to the solar wind convective electric field direction. The cold plasma was measured by the Langmuir Probe instrument and the direction of the convective electric field conv = − × was determined from magnetic field () measurements inside the coma combined with an assumption of a purely radial solar wind velocity . We found that the cold plasma is twice as likely to be observed when the convective electric field at Rosetta's position is directed toward the nucleus (in the − convhemisphere) compared to when it is away from the nucleus (in the + conv hemisphere). Similarly, the diamagnetic cavity, in which previous studies have shown that cold plasma is always present, was also found to be observed twice as often when in the − conv hemisphere, linking its existence circumstantially to the presence of cold electrons. The results are consistent with hybrid and Hall magnetohydrodynamic simulations as well as measurements of the ion distribution around the diamagnetic cavity.
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| 3. |
- Fedorets, Grigori, et al.
(author)
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Establishing Earth's Minimoon Population through Characterization of Asteroid 2020 CD3
- 2020
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In: Astronomical Journal. - : Institute of Physics (IOP). - 0004-6256 .- 1538-3881. ; 160:6
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report on our detailed characterization of Earth's second known temporary natural satellite, or minimoon, asteroid 2020 CD3. An artificial origin can be ruled out based on its area-to-mass ratio and broadband photometry, which suggest that it is a silicate asteroid belonging to the S or V complex in asteroid taxonomy. The discovery of 2020 CD3 allows for the first time a comparison between known minimoons and theoretical models of their expected physical and dynamical properties. The estimated diameter of (+0.4, -0.2) m and geocentric capture approximately a decade after the first known minimoon, 2006 RH120, are in agreement with theoretical predictions. The capture duration of 2020 CD3 of at least 2.7 yr is unexpectedly long compared to the simulation average, but it is in agreement with simulated minimoons that have close lunar encounters, providing additional support for the orbital models. 2020 CD3's atypical rotation period, significantly longer than theoretical predictions, suggests that our understanding of meter-scale asteroids needs revision. More discoveries and a detailed characterization of the population can be expected with the forthcoming Vera C. Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time.
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| 4. |
- Marsset, Michaël, et al.
(author)
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The Debiased Compositional Distribution of MITHNEOS: Global Match between the Near-Earth and Main-belt Asteroid Populations, and Excess of D-type Near-Earth Objects
- 2022
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In: Astronomical Journal. - : Institute of Physics (IOP). - 0004-6256 .- 1538-3881. ; 163:4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report 491 new near-infrared spectroscopic measurements of 420 near-Earth objects (NEOs) collected on the NASA InfraRed Telescope Facility as part of the MIT-Hawaii NEO Spectroscopic Survey. These measurements were combined with previously published data from Binzel et al. and bias-corrected to derive the intrinsic compositional distribution of the overall NEO population, as well as of subpopulations coming from various escape routes (ERs) in the asteroid belt and beyond. The resulting distributions reflect well the overall compositional gradient of the asteroid belt, with decreasing fractions of silicate-rich (S- and Q-type) bodies and increasing fractions of carbonaceous (B-, C-, D- and P-type) bodies as a function of increasing ER distance from the Sun. The close compositional match between NEOs and their predicted source populations validates dynamical models used to identify ERs and argues against any strong composition change with size in the asteroid belt between ∼5 km and ∼100 m. A notable exception comes from the overabundance of D-type NEOs from the 5:2J and, to a lesser extend, the 3:1J and ν6 ERs, hinting at the presence of a large population of small D-type asteroids in the main belt. Alternatively, this excess may indicate preferential spectral evolution from D-type surfaces to C and P types as a consequence of space weathering, or point to the fact that D-type objects fragment more often than other spectral types in the NEO space. No further evidence for the existence of collisional families in the main belt, below the detection limit of current main-belt surveys, was found in this work.
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| 5. |
- Nesvorný, David, et al.
(author)
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NEOMOD: A New Orbital Distribution Model for Near-Earth Objects
- 2023
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In: Astronomical Journal. - : Institute of Physics (IOP). - 0004-6256 .- 1538-3881. ; 166:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) are a transient population of small bodies with orbits near or in the terrestrial planet region. They represent a mid-stage in the dynamical cycle of asteroids and comets, which starts with their removal from the respective source regions—the main belt and trans-Neptunian scattered disk—and ends as bodies impact planets, disintegrate near the Sun, or are ejected from the solar system. Here we develop a new orbital model of NEOs by numerically integrating asteroid orbits from main-belt sources and calibrating the results on observations of the Catalina Sky Survey. The results imply a size-dependent sampling of the main belt with the ν 6 and 3:1 resonances producing ≃30% of NEOs with absolute magnitudes H = 15 and ≃80% of NEOs with H = 25. Hence, the large and small NEOs have different orbital distributions. The inferred flux of H < 18 bodies into the 3:1 resonance can be sustained only if the main-belt asteroids near the resonance drift toward the resonance at the maximal Yarkovsky rate (≃2 × 10−4 au Myr−1 for diameter D = 1 km and semimajor axis a = 2.5 au). This implies obliquities θ ≃ 0° for a < 2.5 au and θ ≃ 180° for a > 2.5 au, both in the immediate neighborhood of the resonance (the same applies to other resonances as well). We confirm the size-dependent disruption of asteroids near the Sun found in previous studies. An interested researcher can use the publicly available NEOMOD Simulator to generate user-defined samples of NEOs from our model.
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| 6. |
- Gahn, G. F., et al.
(author)
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Globulettes as seeds of brown dwarfs and free-floating planetary-mass objects
- 2007
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In: Astronomical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-6256 .- 1538-3881. ; 133:4, s. 1795-1809
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Some H II regions surrounding young stellar clusters contain tiny dusty clouds, which on photos look like dark spots or teardrops against a background of nebular emission. From our collection of Hα images of 10 H II regions gathered at the Nordic Optical Telescope, we found 173 such clouds, which we call "globulettes," since they are much smaller than normal globules and form a distinct class of objects. Many globulettes are quite isolated and located far from the molecular shells and elephant trunks associated with the regions. Others are attached to the trunks (or shells), suggesting that globulettes may form as a consequence of erosion of these larger structures. None of our objects appear to contain stellar objects. The globulettes were measured for position, dimension, and orientation, and we find that most objects are smaller than 10 kAU. The Rosette Nebula and IC 1805 are particularly rich in globulettes, for which the size distributions peak at mean radii of ∼2.5 kAU, similar to what was found by Reipurth and coworkers and De Marco and coworkers for similar objects in other regions. We estimate total mass and density distributions for each object from extinction measures and conclude that a majority contain <13 MJ, corresponding to planetary-mass objects. We then estimate the internal thermal and potential energies and find, when also including the effects from the outer pressure, that a large fraction of the globulettes could be unstable and would contract on short timescales, < 106 yr. In addition, the radiation pressure and ram pressure exerted on the side facing the clusters would stimulate contraction. Since the globulettes are not screened from stellar light by dust clouds farther in, one would expect photoevaporation to dissolve the objects. However, surprisingly few objects show bright rims or teardrop forms. We calculate the expected lifetimes against photoevaporation. These lifetimes scatter around 4 × 10 6 yr, much longer than estimated in previous studies and also much longer than the free-fall time. We conclude that a large number of our globulettes have time to form central low-mass objects long before the ionization front, driven by the impinging Lyman photons, has penetrated far into the globulette. Hence, the globulettes may be one source in the formation of brown dwarfs and free-floating planetary-mass objects in the galaxy.
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