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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0The Astrophysical Journal Letters

The Non-principal-axis Rotation and Convex Shape Model of the Earth Quasi-satellite and Target of China’s Tianwen-2 Mission (469219) Kamo‘oalewa

  • Xiaoyu 效宇 Sun 孙1
  • Zhijun 志军 Song 宋1
  • Hanjie 瀚杰 Tan 谭2
  • Bin 彬 Yang 杨3,4
  • Josef Ďurech5
  • Nicholas Moskovitz6
  • Audrey Thirouin6
  • Samantha Hemmelgarn6,7
  • Wen 文 Bo 博2
  • Yang 洋 Yu 于1
  • Jian-Yang 荐扬 Li 李2,8
8 affiliations
  1. 1Beihang University
  2. 2Sun Yat-sen University
  3. 3Universidad Diego Portales
  4. 4Planetary Science Institute
  5. 5Charles University
  6. 6Lowell Observatory
  7. 7Northern Arizona University
  8. 8Chinese Academy of Sciences
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Abstract

(469219) Kamo‘oalewa is the most stable Earth quasi-satellite and the target of China’s Tianwen-2 asteroid sample return mission. Due to its small size, fast rotation, and the limited observing geometry accessible from the ground, many physical properties of Kamo‘oalewa remain poorly constrained, including the rotational state and shape. We obtained three epochs of high-cadence, high signal-to-noise photometric lightcurves of Kamo‘oalewa with the Gemini North Telescope from 2026 April to May, supplemented by one lightcurve from the Lowell Discovery Telescope in 2026 May. Our analysis suggests that Kamo‘oalewa is in a non-principal-axis rotation with an elongated shape. Four possible solutions exist, including a long-axis mode (LAM) solution and a short-axis mode (SAM) solution, as well as their corresponding mirrored angular momentum directions. The most preferable solution has a LAM model with a precession period P ϕ = ( 27.65 ± 0.03 ) minutes and a rotational period P ψ = ( 50.49 ± 0.08 ) minutes , and the angular momentum points to ecliptic coordinates ( λ , β ) = (226° ± 20°, −39° ± 20°), although we cannot rule out other solutions or other close-by periods due to aliasing. We also derived a convex shape inversion for the LAM models with consistent rotational parameters but could not find a satisfactory inversion for the SAM models. The corresponding angular momentum points to ( λ , β ) = (225°, −43°), and the periods are P ϕ = 27.90 minutes and P ψ = 49.66 minutes . The non-principal-axis rotation provides additional constraints on the dynamic history or the internal structure of Kamo‘oalewa.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{孙2026nonprincipalaxis,
  title = {{The Non-principal-axis Rotation and Convex Shape Model of the Earth Quasi-satellite and Target of China’s Tianwen-2 Mission (469219) Kamo‘oalewa}},
  author = {Xiaoyu 效宇 Sun 孙 and Zhijun 志军 Song 宋 and Hanjie 瀚杰 Tan 谭 and Bin 彬 Yang 杨 and Josef Ďurech and Nicholas Moskovitz and Audrey Thirouin and Samantha Hemmelgarn and Wen 文 Bo 博 and Yang 洋 Yu 于 and Jian-Yang 荐扬 Li 李},
  journal = {The Astrophysical Journal Letters},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3847/2041-8213/aeaa5b},
  url = {https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/aeaa5b},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - The Non-principal-axis Rotation and Convex Shape Model of the Earth Quasi-satellite and Target of China’s Tianwen-2 Mission (469219) Kamo‘oalewa
AU  - Xiaoyu 效宇 Sun 孙
AU  - Zhijun 志军 Song 宋
AU  - Hanjie 瀚杰 Tan 谭
AU  - Bin 彬 Yang 杨
AU  - Josef Ďurech
AU  - Nicholas Moskovitz
AU  - Audrey Thirouin
AU  - Samantha Hemmelgarn
AU  - Wen 文 Bo 博
AU  - Yang 洋 Yu 于
AU  - Jian-Yang 荐扬 Li 李
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/14
JO  - The Astrophysical Journal Letters
DO  - 10.3847/2041-8213/aeaa5b
UR  - https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/aeaa5b
AB  - (469219) Kamo‘oalewa is the most stable Earth quasi-satellite and the target of China’s Tianwen-2 asteroid sample return mission. Due to its small size, fast rotation, and the limited observing geometry accessible from the ground, many physical properties of Kamo‘oalewa remain poorly constrained, including the rotational state and shape. We obtained three epochs of high-cadence, high signal-to-noise photometric lightcurves of Kamo‘oalewa with the Gemini North Telescope from 2026 April to May, supplemented by one lightcurve from the Lowell Discovery Telescope in 2026 May. Our analysis suggests that Kamo‘oalewa is in a non-principal-axis rotation with an elongated shape. Four possible solutions exist, including a long-axis mode (LAM) solution and a short-axis mode (SAM) solution, as well as their corresponding mirrored angular momentum directions. The most preferable solution has a LAM model with a precession period P ϕ = ( 27.65 ± 0.03 ) minutes and a rotational period P ψ = ( 50.49 ± 0.08 ) minutes , and the angular momentum points to ecliptic coordinates ( λ , β ) = (226° ± 20°, −39° ± 20°), although we cannot rule out other solutions or other close-by periods due to aliasing. We also derived a convex shape inversion for the LAM models with consistent rotational parameters but could not find a satisfactory inversion for the SAM models. The corresponding angular momentum points to ( λ , β ) = (225°, −43°), and the periods are P ϕ = 27.90 minutes and P ψ = 49.66 minutes . The non-principal-axis rotation provides additional constraints on the dynamic history or the internal structure of Kamo‘oalewa.
SN  - 2041-8205
SN  - 2041-8213
ER  -