Arecibo Radar Observations of Near-Earth Asteroid (3200) Phaethon During the 2017 Apparition
arXiv:1902.00969 · doi:10.1016/j.pss.2019.01.009
Abstract
We report Arecibo S-band (2380 MHz; 12.6 cm) radar observations of near-Earth asteroid (3200) Phaethon during the December 2017 apparition when Phaethon passed within 0.07 au of Earth. Radar images with a resolution of 75 m per pixel reveal a roughly spheroidal shape more than 6 km in diameter at the equator with several discernible surface features hundreds of meters in extent. These include a possible crater more than 1 km across located below 30 latitude and a roughly 600-m radar-dark region near one of the poles. Overall, the radar images of Phaethon are reminiscent of those of (101955) Bennu, target of the OSIRIS-REx mission. As such, the shape of Phaethon is suspected to have an equatorial ridge similar to the top-shaped models of several other radar-observed near-Earth asteroids as well as the optical images of (162173) Ryugu returned by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft. Preliminary analysis of the radar data finds no satellites and gives no indication of a dusty coma at the time of these observations.
arXiv comment16 pages, 2 tables, 5 figures, accepted to Planetary and Space Sciences special issue on Phaethon and Meteoroids
References in corpus (8)
- Activity in Geminid Parent (3200) Phaethon
- The Dust Tail of Asteroid (3200) Phaethon
- The Ginger-shaped Asteroid 4179 Toutatis: New Observations from a Successful Flyby of Chang'e-2
- Recurrent Perihelion Activity in (3200) Phaethon
- Radar Observations and the Shape of Near-Earth Asteroid 2008 EV5
- Near-Earth asteroid (3200) Phaethon. Characterization of its orbit, spin state, and thermophysical parameters
- Optical observations of NEA 3200 Phaethon (1983 TB) during the 2017 apparition
- Hubble Space Telescope Observations of 3200 Phaethon At Closest Approach
Cited by in corpus (23)
- Parker Solar Probe: Four Years of Discoveries at Solar Cycle Minimum
- Thermophysical modeling of NEOWISE observations of DESTINY+ targets Phaethon and 2005 UD
- Dynamical Evolution and Thermal History of Asteroids (3200) Phaethon and (155140) 2005 UD
- Volatility of Sodium in Carbonaceous Chondrites at Temperatures Consistent with Low-Perihelia Asteroids
- Near-infrared observations of active asteroid (3200) Phaethon reveal no evidence for hydration
- Parker Solar Probe Observations of a Dust Trail in the Orbit of (3200) Phaethon
- Asteroid (3200) Phaethon: colors, phase curve, limits on cometary activity and fragmentation
- Mass shedding activities of Asteroid (3200) Phaethon enhanced by its rotation
- High Resolution Thermal Infrared Imaging of 3200 Phaethon
- Time-series and Phasecurve Photometry of Episodically-Active Asteroid (6478) Gault in a Quiescent State Using APO, GROWTH, P200 and ZTF
- Evidence of surface heterogeneity on active asteroid (3200) Phaethon
- Continued PSP/WISPR Observations of a Phaethon-related Dust Trail
- Polarimetric Properties of the Near--Sun Asteroid (155140) 2005 UD in Comparison with Other Asteroids and Meteoritic Samples
- Asteroid (3200) Phaethon: results of polarimetric, photometric, and spectral observations
- Seasonally Varying Outgassing as an Explanation for Dark Comet Accelerations
- Thermal radiation pressure as a possible mechanism for losing small particles on asteroids
- Simultaneous Multicolor Photometry of the DESTINY target asteroid (3200) Phaethon
- WISE/NEOWISE Multi-Epoch Imaging of the Potentially Geminid-related Asteroids: (3200) Phaethon, 2005 UD and 1999 YC
- Is 2021 PH27 an active asteroid with a meteor shower detectable on Venus?
- Surface dynamics and geophysical environment of asteroid (3200) Phaethon
- Multi-wavelength JWST observations of (3200) Phaethon show a dehydrated object with an aqueously altered origin
- The possible origin of three Apollo asteroids 3200 Phaethon, 2005UD, and 1999YC
- Polarimetric properties of asteroid 3200 Phaethon