Infrared Fluxes and Lightcurves of Near-Earth Objects: The Full Spitzer Sample

Joseph L. Hora, Alicia J. Allen, David E. Trilling, Howard A. Smith, Andrew McNeill

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The IRAC camera on the Spitzer Space Telescope observed 2175 near-Earth objects (NEOs) during its Warm Mission phase, primarily in three large surveys, and also in a small number of a dedicated projects. In this paper, we present the final reprocessing of the NEO data and determine fluxes at 3.6 μm (where available) and 4.5 μm. The observing windows range from minutes to nearly 10 hours, which means that, for 39 NEOs, we observe a complete lightcurve, and for these objects, we present period and amplitude estimates and derive minimum cohesive strengths for the objects with well-determined periods. For an additional 128 objects, we detect a significant fraction of a complete lightcurve and present estimated lower limits to their rotation periods. This paper presents the final and definitive Spitzer/IRAC NEO flux catalog.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number256
JournalAstronomical Journal
Volume169
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - May 1 2025

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Space and Planetary Science

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