NEOWISE REACTIVATION MISSION YEAR TWO: ASTEROID DIAMETERS AND ALBEDOS
Creators
- 1. Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)
- 2. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States)
- 3. Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ (United States)
- 4. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (United States)
Description
The Near-Earth Object Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) mission continues to detect, track, and characterize minor planets. We present diameters and albedos calculated from observations taken during the second year since the spacecraft was reactivated in late 2013. These include 207 near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) and 8885 other asteroids. Of the NEAs, 84% NEAs did not have previously measured diameters and albedos by the NEOWISE mission. Comparison of sizes and albedos calculated from NEOWISE measurements with those measured by occultations, spacecraft, and radar-derived shapes shows accuracy consistent with previous NEOWISE publications. Diameters and albedos fall within ±∼20% and ±∼40%, 1-sigma, respectively, of those measured by these alternate techniques. NEOWISE continues to preferentially discover near-Earth objects which are large (>100 m), and have low albedos.
Availability note (English)
Available from http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/0004-6256/152/3/63Additional details
Identifiers
Publishing Information
- Journal Title
- Astronomical Journal (New York, N.Y. Online)
- Journal Volume
- 152
- Journal Issue
- 3
- Journal Page Range
- [12 p.]
- ISSN
- 1538-3881
INIS
- Country of Publication
- United States
- Country of Input or Organization
- International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
- INIS RN
- 49008459
- Subject category
- S79: ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY;
- Descriptors DEI
- ACCURACY; ALBEDO; ASTEROIDS; ASTRONOMY; COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS; EARTH PLANET; ECLIPSE; INFRARED SURVEYS; RADAR; SPACE VEHICLES
- Descriptors DEC
- EVALUATION; GEOLOGIC SURVEYS; GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS; MEASURING INSTRUMENTS; PLANETS; RANGE FINDERS; VEHICLES