6 papers
The Non-Principal-Axis Rotation and Convex Shape Model of Earth Quasi-Satellite and the Target of China's Tianwen-2 Mission (469219) Kamo`oalewa
Xiaoyu Sun, Zhijun Song, Hanjie Tan +8
(469219) Kamo`oalewa is the most stable Earth quasi-satellite and the target of China's Tianwen-2 asteroid sample return mission. Due to its small size, fast rotation, and the limi…
The spin state of asteroid Apophis and a prediction of its change during the 2029 close encounter with Earth
J. Durech, D. Vokrouhlicky, P. Pravec +23
On April 13, 2029, the asteroid Apophis will pass near Earth at a geocentric distance of about 38,000 km. Numerical models have suggested that the post-encounter spin state will cr…
A change of the rotation period of asteroid (65803) Didymos caused by the DART impact
Josef Durech, Petr Pravec, Masatoshi Hirabayashi +3
On 26 September 2022, the NASA Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft impacted Dimorphos, the secondary component of the binary asteroid (65803)~Didymos. This experimen…
The discovery and characterization of Earth-crossing asteroid 2024 YR
Bryce T. Bolin, Josef Hanuš, Larry Denneau +9
We describe observations and physical characteristics of Earth-crossing asteroid 2024 YR, discovered on 2024 December 27 by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System. T…
A pre-flyby view on the origin of asteroid Donaldjohanson, a target of the NASA Lucy mission
Simone Marchi, David Vokrouhlický, David Nesvorný +3
The NASA Lucy mission is scheduled to fly-by the main belt asteroid (52246) Donaldjohanson on April 20, 2025. Donaldjohanson (DJ hereafter) is a member of the primitive (C-type cla…
Confined tumbling state as the origin of the excess of slowly rotating asteroids
Wen-Han Zhou, Patrick Michel, Marco Delbo +4
The rotational distribution of asteroids as a function of their size is used {as a diagnostic of} their physical properties and evolution. Recent photometric surveys from the Gaia…