Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-qxdb6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T04:47:25.160Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

On the rotation of cometary nuclei and small asteroids

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2016

P. Farinella ,
P. Paolicchi  and
V. Zappala
P. Farinella
Affiliation:
Department of Mathematics, University of Pisa, Italy
P. Paolicchi
Affiliation:
Institute of Astronomy, University of Pisa, Italy
V. Zappala
Affiliation:
Astronomical Observatory of Torino, Pino Torinese, Italy

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The spin rate distributions of comet nuclei and small asteroids are compared, and it is shown that Whipple’s (1982) finding of a faster average rotation for the asteroid sample was due to observational biases. In fact, the presently available rotational data do not exhibit any clear differentiation among comet nuclei and asteroids, except possibly for a higher abundance of short rotational periods among the Apollo-Amor objects.

Type
Section III. Meteor Streams and Interrelations with Minor Planets
Information
International Astronomical Union Colloquium , Volume 83: Dynamics of Comets: Their Origin and Evolution , 1985 , pp. 173 - 178
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1985

References

Binzel, R.P. (1984). ‘The rotation of small asteroids’. Icarus 57, 294–306.Google Scholar
Binzel, R.P., AND Mulholland, J.D. (1984). ‘A photoelectric lightcurve survey of small main belt asteroids’. Icarus 56, 519–533.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Capaccioni, F., P.Cerroni, , Coradini, M., Farinella, P., Flamini, E., Martelli, G., Paolicchi, P., Smith, P.N., AND Zappala’, V. (1984). ‘Shapes of asteroids compared with fragments from hypervelocity impact experiments’. Nature 308, 832–834.Google Scholar
Catullo, V., Zappala’, V., Farinella, P., AND Paolicchi, P. (1984). ‘Analysis of the shape distribution of asteroids’. Astron. Astrophys., in press.Google Scholar
Dermott, S.F., Harris, A.W., AND Murray, C.D. (1984). ‘Asteroid rotation rates’. Icarus 57, 14–34.Google Scholar
Farinella, P., Paolicchi, P., AND Zappala’, V. (1981). ‘Analysis of the spin rate distribution of asteroids’. Astron. Astrophys. 104, 159–165.Google Scholar
Harris, A.W., AND Burns, J.A. (1979). ‘Asteroid rotation: I. Tabulation and analysis of rates, pole positions and shapes’. Icarus 40, 115–144.Google Scholar
Harris, A.W., AND Young, J.W. (1983). ‘Asteroid rotation: IV. 1979 observations’. Icarus 54, 59–109.Google Scholar
Rickman, H. (1985). ‘Interrelations between comets and asteroids’. This volume.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tedesco, E.F., and Zappala’, V. (1980). ‘Rotational properties of asteroids: Correlations and selection effects’. Icarus 43, 33–50.Google Scholar
Whipple, F.L. (1981). ‘On observing comets for nuclear rotation’. In Modern Observational Techniques for Comets (Brandt, J.C., Greenberg, J.M., Donn, B. and Rahe, J., Eds.), pp. 191– 200, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena.Google Scholar
Whipple, F.L. (1982). ‘The rotation of comet nuclei’. In Comets (Wilkening, L.L., Ed.), pp. 227– 250, University of arizona Press, Tucson.Google Scholar
Williams, J.G. (1979). ‘Proper elements and family memberships of the asteroids’. In Asteroids (Gehrels, T., Ed.), pp. 1040– 1063, University of Arizona Press, Tucson.Google Scholar