Astronomy & Astrophysics

Free access article

Issue		A&A Volume 405, Number 3, July III 2003
Page(s)		L29 - L32
Section		Letters
DOI		10.1051/0004-6361:20030819

A&A 405, L29-L32 (2003)
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20030819

Letter

CCD photometry and model of MUSES-C target (25143) 1998 SF36

M. Kaasalainen¹, T. Kwiatkowski², M. Abe³, J. Piironen¹, T. Nakamura⁴, Y. Ohba³, B. Dermawan⁵, T. Farnham⁶, F. Colas⁷, S. Lowry⁸, P. Weissman⁸, R. J. Whiteley⁹, D. J. Tholen¹⁰, S. M. Larson⁹, M. Yoshikawa³, I. Toth¹¹ and F. P. Velichko¹²

¹ Observatory, University of Helsinki, PO Box 14, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
² Astronomical Observatory, Adam Mickiewicz University, ul. Sloneczna 36, 60-286 Poznan, Poland
³ The Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, 3-1-1 Yoshinodai, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 229-8510, Japan
⁴ National Astronomical Observatory, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan
⁵ School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bynkyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
⁶ Department of Astronomy, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
⁷ IMCCE, Observatoire de Paris, 77 Av. Denfert Rochereau, 75014 Paris, France
⁸ Earth and Space Sciences Division, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
⁹ Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, 1629 E. Univ. Blvd. Tucson, AZ 85721-0092, USA
¹⁰ Institute for Astronomy, Woodlawn Drive, 96822, Honolulu, HI, USA
¹¹ Konkoly Observatory, Post Office Box 67, Budapest 1525, Hungary
¹² Astronomical Observatory of Kharkiv National University, 35 Sums'ka St., 61022 Kharkiv, Ukraine

(Received 5 May 2003 / Accepted 31 May 2003)

Abstract
We present photometric observations of the near-Earth asteroid (25143) 1998 SF36 from the 2001 apparition campaign, and we discuss the corresponding physical model. The asteroid's photometric behaviour is consistent with an S-type object, it has a retrograde pole at $\lambda=355^\circ,\ \ \beta=-84^\circ\pm 5^\circ$ , and its sidereal rotation period is $P=12.132\pm 0.0005$ hours. 1998 SF36 is elongated, with rough global dimension ratios a/b=2.0, b/c=1.3, but the elongation is not due to a bifurcated shape. The surface is not likely to contain major concavities. No significant albedo variegation was detected.

Key words: solar system: minor planets, asteroids -- techniques: photometric -- methods: numerical

Offprint request: M. Kaasalainen, Mikko.Kaasalainen@astro.helsinki.fi

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