Multiple Outbursts of Asteroid (6478) Gault

Abstract

Main-belt asteroid (6478) Gault unexpectedly sprouted two tails in late 2018 and early 2019, identifying it as a new active asteroid. Here we present observations obtained by the 1.2-m Zwicky Transient Facility survey telescope that provide detailed time-series coverage of the onset and evolution of Gault's activity. Gault exhibited two brightening events, with the first one starting on 2018 Oct. 18$\pm 5$ days and a second one starting on 2018 Dec. 24$\pm 1$ days. The amounts of mass released are $2\times 10^7$ kg and $1\times 10^6$ kg, respectively. Based on photometric measurements, each event persisted for about a month. Gault's color has not changed appreciably over time, with a pre-outburst color of $g_{PS1}-r_{PS1}=0.50\pm 0.04$ and $g_{PS1}-r_{PS1}=0.46\pm 0.04$ during the two outbursts. Simulations of dust dynamics shows that the ejecta consists of dust grains of up to 10 $\mu$m in size that are ejected at low velocities below $1\mathrm{m}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$ regardless of particle sizes. This is consistent with non-sublimation-driven ejection events. The size distribution of the dust exhibits a broken power-law, with particles at 10--20 $\mu$m following a power-law of $-2.5$ to $-3.0$, while larger particles follow a steeper slope of $-4.0$. The derived properties can be explained by either rotational excitation of the nucleus or a merger of a near-contact binary, with the latter scenario to be statistically more likely.

ApJL in press. Animation of Figure 1 at https://youtu.be/_wuuabhe5B0. Data and codes that generate the figures of this paper are available at https://github.com/Yeqzids/activation_of_6478_gault

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