{
  "abstract": "The asteroid 1998 KY$_{26}$ has been the subject of thorough observation, both optical and radar, from shortly following its discovery on 28 May 1998, through 2 further close apparitions in 2020 and 2024. This has previously allowed an accurate characterization of the object, including an unusually rapid spin-rate with period 5.3516 $\\pm$ 0.0001 minutes, a diameter of 11 $\\pm$ 2 m, and a high albedo of $\\sim{0.52}$. Furthermore, the presence of significant nongravitational accelerations (NGAs), with no detectable shedding of gas or dust, has stimulated the 'dark comet' categorization, with JAXA repurposing their Hayabusa2$\\sharp$ spacecraft to rendezvous with the object in 2031. We follow-up the astrodynamical evidence pointing to the possibility this may actually be the lost Soviet Phobos 1 probe, and analyse various photometry and astrometry associated with 1998 KY$_{26}$ to further investigate the feasibility of this hypothesis. We find a first order approximation of the Phobos 1 spacecraft provides compelling agreement to 8 light curves of the object and further that modelling NGAs as solar radiation pressure (SRP) on a cylinder or solar panels provide significant reductions in residual of $\\sim{11} \\%$ with respect to the 260 astrometric and radar measurements. Although an investigation of this kind cannot be conclusive, nevertheless the results here add strong weight to the Phobos 1 hypothesis, and we find no clear contradictory evidence. The spin pole in Ecliptic J2000 coordinates, calculated from photometry based on the Phobos 1 assumption is $(λ,β)=({151^{+1}_{-2}}^{\\circ},{+11^{+12}_{- 3}}^{\\circ})$ , where the quoted ranges represent approximate 68.3\\% confidence levels.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2609.24283",
  "author_total": 3,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Adam Hibberd"
    },
    {
      "name": "Adam Crowl"
    },
    {
      "name": "Abraham Loeb"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6p0y2peqazk3j.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2609.24283",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "6p0y2peqazk3j",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.24283",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "LicenseRef-arXiv-nonexclusive-1.0",
  "licence_label": "arXiv licence",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "astro-ph.EP"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3103|Astro and Planetary Science"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7214008588",
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2609.24283",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-23",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6p0y2peqazk3j.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:23:56Z",
      "native_id": "2609.24283",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.24283"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "arxiv:astro-ph.EP",
      "subfield": "planetary"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Feasibility of the Phobos 1 Hypothesis for Dark Comet 1998 KY$_{26}$",
  "title_text": "Feasibility of the Phobos 1 Hypothesis for Dark Comet 1998 KY_26",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:23:56Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6p0y2peqazk3j",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}