Photometric characterization of near-Earth asteroids: rotation, taxonomy, and candidate evidence for internal cohesion
Abstract
We present the results of a survey of previously uncharacterized near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) conducted between the second half of 2024 and the first months of 2026 using broadband BVRc Ic photometry and time-resolved lightcurve observations. Color indices were obtained for 14 NEAs of the 15 observed, with a dimension range between 0.11 and 2.5 km, and used to derive taxonomic classifications through comparison of a sample of reference reflectance curves. The sample appears to be dominated by S-, X-, and C-complex and V-type asteroids; absolute magnitudes and effective diameters were estimated using taxonomically appropriate albedos. Rotation periods were determined or constrained for several targets. Some large objects appear to rotate faster than the classical cohesionless spin barrier at P≃ 2.2~h, although in some cases the period determinations remain tentative due to limited temporal coverage. A cohesive rubble-pile model provides a plausible explanation for the observed rapid rotation within the uncertainties of the derived physical parameters, and modest cohesive strengths of order 102--104~Pa are sufficient to account for the observed rotation rates.
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BibTeX
@misc{carbognani2026photometric,
title = {{Photometric characterization of near-Earth asteroids: rotation, taxonomy, and candidate evidence for internal cohesion}},
author = {A. Carbognani and A. Buzzoni and M. Barbetta and R. Gualandi},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.02563},
eprint = {2609.02563},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.02563},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Photometric characterization of near-Earth asteroids: rotation, taxonomy, and candidate evidence for internal cohesion
AU - A. Carbognani
AU - A. Buzzoni
AU - M. Barbetta
AU - R. Gualandi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/02
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.02563
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.02563
AB - We present the results of a survey of previously uncharacterized near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) conducted between the second half of 2024 and the first months of 2026 using broadband BVR_c I_c photometry and time-resolved lightcurve observations. Color indices were obtained for 14 NEAs of the 15 observed, with a dimension range between 0.11 and 2.5 km, and used to derive taxonomic classifications through comparison of a sample of reference reflectance curves. The sample appears to be dominated by S-, X-, and C-complex and V-type asteroids; absolute magnitudes and effective diameters were estimated using taxonomically appropriate albedos. Rotation periods were determined or constrained for several targets. Some large objects appear to rotate faster than the classical cohesionless spin barrier at P≃ 2.2~h, although in some cases the period determinations remain tentative due to limited temporal coverage. A cohesive rubble-pile model provides a plausible explanation for the observed rapid rotation within the uncertainties of the derived physical parameters, and modest cohesive strengths of order 10^2--10^4~Pa are sufficient to account for the observed rotation rates.
ER -