2008/04/02 by Franck Marchis, F. Marchis, Pascal Descamps +9 · 3 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astro and Planetary Science #Planetary Science and Exploration #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2008.03.007
72 pages, 9 tables, 4 figures
openalex publication_date 2008/04/02 · arxiv created 2008/04/09 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
In 2003, we initiated a long-term adaptive optics campaign to study the orbit of various main-belt asteroidal systems. Here we present a consistent solution for the mutual orbits of four binary systems: 22 Kalliope, 45 Eugenia, 107 Camilla and 762 Pulcova. With the exception of 45 Eugenia, we did not detect any additional satellites around these systems although we have the capability of detecting a loosely-bound fragment (located at 1/4 x RHill) that is ~40 times smaller in diameter than the primary. The common characteristic of these mutual orbits is that they are roughly circular. Three of these binary systems belong to a C-"group" taxonomic class. Our estimates of their bulk densities are consistently lower (~1 g/cm3) than their associated meteorite analogs, suggesting an interior porosity of 30-50% (taking CI-CO meteorites as analogs). 22 Kalliope, a W-type asteroid, has a significantly higher bulk density of ~3 g/cm3, derived based on IRAS radiometric size measurement. We compare the characteristics of these orbits in the light of tidal-effect evolution.