MAIN-BELT ASTEROIDS OBSERVED FROM CS3: 2018 OCTOBER - DECEMBER

Area of Science:

• Astronomy and Astrophysics
• Planetary Science

Background:

• Asteroid research is crucial for understanding solar system formation and evolution.
• Accurate knowledge of asteroid rotation periods and pole orientations is vital for mission planning and physical characterization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the rotational properties (pole solution and sidereal period) of asteroid 4910 Kawasato.
• To characterize the orbital and rotational dynamics of the binary asteroid 31320 1998 HX2.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) photometric observations.
• Collected data from the Center for Solar System Studies between October and December 2018.
• Analyzed light curves to derive rotational parameters.

Main Results:

• A pole solution for asteroid 4910 Kawasato was determined: (λ, β, P_SID) = (355°, 35°, 4.66271 h).
• Asteroid 31320 1998 HX2 was confirmed as a binary system.
• The orbital periods for the binary asteroid 31320 1998 HX2 were measured as P₁ = 2.8149 ± 0.0001 h and P₂ = 47.06 ± 0.05 h.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully derived key rotational and orbital parameters for two main-belt asteroids.
• These findings contribute valuable data to the asteroid database, aiding future research and exploration efforts.