Date of Award

January 2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Space Studies

First Advisor

Sherry Fieber-Beyer

Abstract

Astrometric and photometric observations of asteroids provide information regarding their positions, rotation rates, axis of rotation, and shapes. Lightcurve inversion utilizes an asteroid’s change in brightness with respect to phase angle change, which maximizes ground-based observational data. This study investigated the rotational properties of four near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) with a single pole solution and convex shape model of (25330) 1999 KV4 using the lightcurve inversion method. Photometric observations were remotely obtained using the Skynet Robotic Telescope Network, andNOIRLAB’s Cerro-Tololo Inter-American Observatory’s (CTIO) 24” Ritchey-Chretien Prompt 3 Telescope. The data were calibrated using AstroImageJ software, and lightcurve analyses were performed using MPO Canopus to find the rotational periods and amplitudes of each target. The results show NEA (219071) 1997 US9’s rotational period as 3.331 ± 0.001 hours with an amplitude of 0.19 ± 0.07 magnitude, agreeing with previously published results. The rotational period for NEAs (152787) 1999 TB10 and (187026) 2005 EK70 were calculated at 2.876 ± 0.001 hours and amplitude of 0.29 ± 0.05 magnitudes, and 6.966 ± 0.001 hours and amplitude of 0.20 ± 0.02 magnitudes, respectively. Lightcurve Inversion was performed using MPO LCInvert on NEA (25330) 1999 KV4 using compiled data from CTIO, Ondrejov Observatory, Modra Observatory, and Sopot Astronomical Observatory. The results indicate the pole solution at ? = 145 ± 19°, ? = −80 ± 16° with the period of 4.912 ± 0.001 hours and ?2 = 0.352230. The period and pole solution were applied to the Minkowski/triangles conversion, where the area of each polygonal facet is converted into triangles onto a 3D convex shape representing the asteroid. The shape model exhibits an equatorial ridge about the axis of rotation and produces a simulated photometric lightcurve, which agrees with the shape created using observational data.

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