ExploreNEOs. II. The accuracy of the Warm Spitzer near-Earth object survey

Harris, A. W. and Mommert, M. and Hora, J. L. and Mueller, M. and Trilling, D.E. and Bhattacharya, B. and Bottke, W. F. and Chesley, S. and Delbo, M. and Emery, J. P. and Fazio, G. and Mainzer, A. and Penprase, B. and Smith, H. A. and Spahr, T. B. and Stansberry, J. A. and Thomas, C. A. (2011) ExploreNEOs. II. The accuracy of the Warm Spitzer near-Earth object survey. Astronomical Journal, 141 (3). p. 75. ISSN 1538-3881

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Abstract

We report on results of observations of near-Earth objects (NEOs) performed with the NASA Spitzer Space Telescope as part of our ongoing (2009-2011) Warm Spitzer NEO survey ("ExploreNEOs"), the primary aim of which is to provide sizes and albedos of some 700 NEOs. The emphasis of the work described here is an assessment of the overall accuracy of our survey results, which are based on a semi-empirical generalized model of asteroid thermal emission. The NASA Spitzer Space Telescope has been operated in the so-called Warm Spitzer mission phase since the cryogen was depleted in 2009 May, with the two shortest-wavelength channels, centered at 3.6 mu m and 4.5 mu m, of the Infrared Array Camera continuing to provide valuable data. The set of some 170 NEOs in our current Warm Spitzer results catalog contains 28 for which published taxonomic classifications are available, and 14 for which relatively reliable published diameters and albedos are available. A comparison of the Warm Spitzer results with previously published results ("ground truth"), complemented by a Monte Carlo error analysis, indicates that the rms Warm Spitzer diameter and albedo errors are +/- 20% and +/- 50%, respectively. Cases in which agreement with results from the literature is worse than expected are highlighted and discussed; these include the potential spacecraft target 138911 2001 AE(2). We confirm that 1.4 appears to be an appropriate overall default value for the relative reflectance between the V band and the Warm Spitzer wavelengths, for use in correction of the Warm Spitzer fluxes for reflected solar radiation.

Item Type:	Article
Publisher’s Statement:	© 2011 American Astronomical Society. Published by IOP Publishing.
ID number or DOI:	10.1088/0004-6256/141/3/75
Keywords:	infrared: planetary systems – minor planets, asteroids: general – surveys
Subjects:	Q Science > QB Astronomy
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status:	Faculty/Staff
Department/Unit:	College of Engineering, Forestry, and Natural Science > Physics and Astronomy
Date Deposited:	12 Oct 2015 18:14
URI:	http://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/364

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