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Near-Earth asteroid 2012 TC4 observing campaign: Results from a global planetary defense exercise

Masiero, Joseph R.; Kareta, Theodore; Springmann, Alessondra +66 more

Impacts due to near-Earth objects (NEOs) are responsible for causing some of the great mass extinctions on Earth. While nearly all NEOs of diameter > 1 km, capable of causing a global climatic disaster, have been discovered and have negligible chance of impacting in the near future, we are far from completion in our effort to detect and charact…

Evidence for color dichotomy in the primordial Neptunian Trojan population

Smith, M.; D'Andrea, C. B.; Abbott, T. M. C. +45 more

In the current model of early Solar System evolution, the stable members of the Jovian and Neptunian Trojan populations were captured into resonance from the leftover reservoir of planetesimals during the outward migration of the giant planets. As a result, both Jovian and Neptunian Trojans share a common origin with the primordial disk population…

A stellar occultation by Vanth, a satellite of (90482) Orcus

Bosh, A. S.; Lister, T. A.; Schindler, K. +5 more

A stellar occultation by the large trans-Neptunian object (90482) Orcus was predicted to occur on 2017 March 07. Observations were made at five sites in North and South America: the 0.6-m Astronomical Telescope of the University of Stuttgart (ATUS) at Sierra Remote Observatories, California; Las Cumbres Observatory's 1-m telescope at McDonald Obse…

A common origin for dynamically associated near-Earth asteroid pairs

Wasserman, Lawrence H.; Hora, Joseph L.; Thirouin, Audrey +19 more

Though pairs of dynamically associated asteroids in the Main Belt have been identified and studied for over a decade, very few pair systems have been identified in the near-Earth asteroid population. We present data and analysis that supports the existence of two genetically related pairs in near-Earth space. The members of the individual systems,…

Measuring the Yarkovsky effect with Las Cumbres Observatory

Lister, Tim; Farnocchia, Davide; Greenstreet, Sarah

The Las Cumbres Observatory (LCOGT) provides an ideal platform for follow-up and characterization of Solar System objects (e.g. asteroids, Kuiper belt objects (KBOs), comets, and near-Earth objects (NEOs)) as well as for the discovery of new objects. The LCOGT network allows for regular monitoring of a sample of targets, such as that of NEOs for w…

Reprint of "Evidence for color dichotomy in the primordial Neptunian Trojan population"

Smith, M.; D'Andrea, C. B.; Abbott, T. M. C. +45 more

In the current model of early Solar System evolution, the stable members of the Jovian and Neptunian Trojan populations were captured into resonance from the leftover reservoir of planetesimals during the outward migration of the giant planets. As a result, both Jovian and Neptunian Trojans share a common origin with the primordial disk population…