Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-04T19:39:00.186Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Trajectory and physical properties of near-Earth asteroid 2009 BD

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 January 2015

D. Farnocchia
Affiliation:
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA email: [email protected]
M. Mommert
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
J. L. Hora
Affiliation:
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
S. R. Chesley
Affiliation:
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA email: [email protected]
D. Vokrouhlický
Affiliation:
Institute of Astronomy, Charles University, CZ-18000, Prague 8, Czech Republic
D. E. Trilling
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
M. Mueller
Affiliation:
SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, 9700-AV Groningen, The Netherlands
A. W. Harris
Affiliation:
DLR Institute of Planetary Research, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
H. A. Smith
Affiliation:
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
G. G. Fazio
Affiliation:
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

We analyze the trajectory of near-Earth asteroid 2009~BD, which is a candidate target of the NASA Asteroid Redirect Mission. The small size of 2009 BD and its Earth-like orbit pose challenges to understanding the dynamical properties of 2009 BD. In particular, nongravitational perturbations, such as solar radiation pressure and the Yarkovsky effect, are essential to match observational data and provide reliable predictions. By using Spitzer Space Telescope IRAC observations and our model for the thermophysical properties and the nongravitational forces acting on 2009 BD we obtain probabilistic derivations of the physical properties of this object. We find two physically possible solutions. The first solution shows 2009 BD as a 2.9 ± 0.3 m diameter rocky body with an extremely high albedo that is covered with regolith-like material, causing it to exhibit a low thermal inertia. The second solution suggests 2009 BD to be a 4 ± 1 m diameter asteroid with albedo 0.45 ± 0.35 that consists of a collection of individual bare rock slabs. We are unable to rule out either solution based on physical reasoning. 2009 BD is the smallest asteroid for which physical properties have been constrained, providing unique information on the physical properties of objects in the size range smaller than 10 m.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2014 

References

Buzzi, L., Hormuth, F., Bittesini, L., et al. 2009, MPEC, 2009-B14Google Scholar
Carpino, M., Milani, A., & Chesley, S. R. 2003, Icarus, 166, 248Google Scholar
Farnocchia, D., Chesley, S. R., Vokrouhlický, D., et al. 2013, Icarus, 224, 1CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fazio, G. G., Hora, J. L., Allen, L. E., et al. 2004, ApJS, 154, 10CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marsden, B. G., Sekanina, Z., & Yeomans, D. K. 1973, AJ, 78, 211Google Scholar
Mazanek, D. D., Brophy, J. R., & Merrill, R. G. 2013, Planetary Defense Conference, IAA-PDC13-04-14Google Scholar
Micheli, M., Tholen, D. J., & Elliott, G. T. 2012, New Astron., 17, 446Google Scholar
Mommert, M., Hora, J. L., Farnocchia, D., et al. 2014, ApJ, 786, 148Google Scholar
Mueller, M. 2007, arXiv, 1208.3993Google Scholar
Mueller, M., Delbo', M., Hora, J. L., et al. 2011, AJ, 141, 109Google Scholar
Tholen, D. J., Micheli, M., Bauer, J., & Mainzer, A. 2013, AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts 45 #101.08Google Scholar
Vokrouhlický, D. & Milani, A. 2000, A&A, 362, 746Google Scholar
Vokrouhlický, D., Milani, A., & Chesley, S. R. 2000, Icarus, 148, 118Google Scholar
Werner, M. W., Roellig, T. L., Low, F. J., et al. 2004, ApJS, 154, 1Google Scholar