NEO sizes, shapes and surface physical properties

Anny Chantal Levasseur-Regourd (1) , Marcellon Fulchignoni (2) , Marco Delbó , Richard P. Binzel (3)

1 SA - Service d'aéronomie
2 LESIA - Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique
3 EAPS - Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences [MIT, Cambridge]

The sizes, shapes, and surface or subsurface properties of Near Earth Objects (mostly asteroids, also inactive comet nuclei) are still poorly known, since any accurate determination requires in situ missions. It may nevertheless be estimated that the sizes of these irregular bodies range from a few tens of kilometres to a few tens of meters, with possibly about 1000 NEOs with sizes greater than 1 km. Their surfaces are estimated to be quite rough, and at least partially covered with regolith.

Domaines: Océan, Atmosphère

Anny Chantal Levasseur-Regourd, Marcellon Fulchignoni, Marco Delbó, Richard P. Binzel. NEO sizes, shapes and surface physical properties. Comptes Rendus. Physique, 2005, 6, pp.313-320. ⟨10.1016/j.crhy.2005.01.003⟩. ⟨hal-00077470⟩