Mass Determination Studies of 104 Large Asteroids
Abstract
The techniques described in an earlier paper were used to determine masses of 104 asteroids by the method of asteroid-asteroid gravitational interaction. For each of the 104 perturbers, 4 large sets of test particles selected by different criteria were used to calculate 4 mass values from a weighted mean of individual results within each set. The sheer number of test particles and observations ameliorates the effects of random observational errors and the type of systematic errors known to have affected specific observatories at specific times. It also reduces the effect of mismodeled attractions by perturbers other than the one being estimated, because the various test particles are affected to different degrees and in different directions. For most of the perturbers that have been analyzed by others, the results of this study agree reasonably well with values published in the past decade, giving credence to the approach. Thirty-eight of the results appear to be the first published masses for the respective asteroids, and 12 are the first determinations based on asteroid-asteroid interactions. Unrealistic and/or negative masses were obtained for some perturbers. Causes for this phenomenon are discussed and various means to obtain reasonable numbers are evaluated.
- Publication:
-
The Astronomical Journal
- Pub Date:
- October 2011
- DOI:
- 10.1088/0004-6256/142/4/120
- Bibcode:
- 2011AJ....142..120Z
- Keywords:
-
- minor planets;
- asteroids: general