NEAR-EARTH ASTEROID LIGHTCURVE ANALYSIS AT CS3-PALMER DIVIDE STATION: 2016 JANUARY-APRIL

Area of Science:

• * Astronomy and Astrophysics
• * Planetary Science

Background:

• * Near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) are objects whose orbits bring them into proximity with Earth.
• * Understanding NEA physical properties is crucial for impact risk assessment and planetary defense.
• * Lightcurve analysis is a primary method for determining NEA rotational periods and shapes.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To present new photometric data for a sample of NEAs.
• * To contribute to the growing database of NEA physical characteristics.
• * To enable further dynamical and physical studies of these objects.

Main Methods:

• * Photometric observations were conducted at the Center for Solar System Studies-Palmer Divide Station (CS3-PDS).
• * Lightcurves were acquired for 38 NEAs between January and April 2016.
• * Four additional lightcurves from 2014-2015, previously unpublished, were also analyzed.

Main Results:

• * Lightcurve data were successfully obtained for 38 distinct near-Earth asteroids.
• * The dataset includes 4 lightcurves from earlier observations (2014-2015) that are now publicly available.
• * The collected data provide insights into the rotational dynamics and surface properties of the observed NEAs.

Conclusions:

• * The study successfully generated and reported new lightcurve data for a significant number of NEAs.
• * This contributes valuable observational data for the scientific community studying small solar system bodies.
• * The findings support ongoing efforts to characterize potentially hazardous asteroids and refine orbital models.