Is (3599) Basov a large C-type super-fast rotator?

Kang Shian Pan, Wing Huen Ip, Chia Lung Lin, Li Ching Huang, Yu Chi Cheng, Ting Shuo Yeh

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The rubble-pile model of asteroids deduced from the existence of a spin cutoff is an important paradigm in the interior structure of asteroids as a consequence of their collisional evolution. Many objects with size less than 200 ​m have been found to be rotating with a spin period less than 2.2 ​h but seldom so for bigger objects. Thus, asteroids with rotation periods significantly less than this spin cutoff limit are called super-fast rotators. Most often this picture of spin cutoff and hence the rubble-pile model has been applied to the S-type asteroids. In this study, we report the interesting case of (3599) Basov which is a member of the Themis family of C-class composition. The spin barrier of the Themis family asteroids has been shown to be P ​= ​3 ​h. What is unusual about (3599) Basov is that its rotation period has been confirmed to be P ​= ​2.157 ​± ​0.037 ​h which is significantly shorter than the critical value for centrifugal breakup. Furthermore, its size of 18 ​km is much larger than those of the S-class super-fast rotators. The physical property of (3599) Basov might therefore be quite unique.

Original languageEnglish
Article number105520
JournalPlanetary and Space Science
Volume220
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Oct 2022

Keywords

  • (3599) Basov
  • C-type asteroid
  • superfast rotator

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