Physical Parameters of Asteroids Estimated from the WISE 3-Band Data and NEOWISE Post-Cryogenic Survey

November 2012 • 2012ApJ...760L..12M

Authors • Mainzer, A. • Grav, T. • Masiero, J. • Bauer, J. • Cutri, R. M. • McMillan, R. S. • Nugent, C. R. • Tholen, D. • Walker, R. • Wright, E. L.

Abstract • Enhancements to the science data processing pipeline of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission, collectively known as NEOWISE, resulted in the detection of >158,000 minor planets in four infrared wavelengths during the fully cryogenic portion of the mission. Following the depletion of its cryogen, NASA's Planetary Science Directorate funded a four-month extension to complete the survey of the inner edge of the Main Asteroid Belt and to detect and discover near-Earth objects (NEOs). This extended survey phase, known as the NEOWISE Post-Cryogenic Survey, resulted in the detection of ~6500 large Main Belt asteroids and 86 NEOs in its 3.4 and 4.6 μm channels. During the Post-Cryogenic Survey, NEOWISE discovered and detected a number of asteroids co-orbital with the Earth and Mars, including the first known Earth Trojan. We present preliminary thermal fits for these and other NEOs detected during the 3-Band Cryogenic and Post-Cryogenic Surveys.

Links

• PDF https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2041-8205/760/1/L12/pdf
• PREPRINT http://arxiv.org/abs/1210.0502
• DATA http://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/ApJ/760/L12
• ELECTR https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2041-8205/760/1/L12
• SPIRES http://inspirehep.net/search?p=find+eprint+arXiv:1210.0502