603 research outputs found
Characterisation of the new target of the NASA Lucy mission: asteroid 152830 Dinkinesh (1999 VD57)
The NASA Lucy mission is aimed at the study of the very interesting
population of Jupiter Trojans, considered as time capsules from the origin of
our solar system. During its journey, the mission will pass near a main belt
asteroid, Donaldjohanson. Recently, NASA has announced that a new asteroid in
the belt will also be visited by Lucy: 152830 Dinkinesh (1999 VD57). The main
goal of this work is to characterise this newly selected target, asteroid
Dinkinesh, in order to provide critical information to the mission team. To
achieve it, we have obtained visible spectra, colour photometry, and
time-series photometry of Dinkinesh, using several telescopes located at
different observatories. For the spectra we used the 10.4m Gran Telescopio
Canarias (GTC), in the island of La Palma (Spain); for the colour photometry
the 4.3m Lowell Discovery Telescope (LDT), near Happy Jack, Arizona (USA) was
used; and for the time-series photometry we used the 82cm IAC80 telescope
located in the island of Tenerife (Spain). Both visible spectrum and
reflectance values computed from colour photometry show that Dinkinesh is an
S-type asteroid, i.e., it is composed mainly of silicates and some metal.
According to observations done by the NEOWISE survey, S-type asteroids have
typical geometric albedo of = 0.223 0.073. From our time-series
photometry, we obtained an asteroid mean magnitude = 19.99 0.05,
which provides an absolute magnitude = 17.53 0.07 assuming =
0.19 0.25 for S-types. Using our colour-photometry, we transformed
to = 17.48 0.05. This value of absolute magnitude combined
with the geometric albedo provides a mean diameter for Dinkinesh of 900
m, ranging between a minimum size of 542 m and a maximum size of 1309 m.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, Accepted for publication in A&
Recommended from our members
Impact histories of Vesta and Vestoids inferred from howardites, eucrites and diogenites
The parent body of the howardites, eucrites and diogenites (HEDs) is thought to be asteroid (4) Vesta [1]. However, several eucrites have now been recognized, like NWA 011 and Ibitira, with major element compositions and mineralogy like normal eucrites but with different oxygen isotope compositions and minor element concentrations suggesting they are not from the same body [2, 3]. The discoveries of abnormal eucrites and V-type asteroids that are probably not from Vesta [see 4] raise the question whether the HEDs with normal oxygen isotopes are coming from Vesta [3]. To address this issue and understand more about the evolution of Vesta in preparation for the arrival of the Dawn spacecraft, we integrate fresh insights from Ar-Ar dating and oxygen isotope analyses of HEDs, radiometric dating of differentiated meteorites, as well as dynamical and astronomical studies of Vesta, the Vesta asteroid family (i.e., the Vestoids), and other V-type asteroids
Venous-right atrial bypass for superior vena cava thrombosis during orthotopic liver transplantation
The Mission Accessible Near-Earth Objects Survey: Four years of photometry
Over 4.5 years, the Mission Accessible Near-Earth Object Survey (MANOS)
assembled 228 Near-Earth Object (NEO) lightcurves. We report rotational
lightcurves for 82 NEOs, constraints on amplitudes and periods for 21 NEOs,
lightcurves with no detected variability within the image signal to noise and
length of our observing block for 30 NEOs, and 10 tumblers. We uncovered 2
ultra-rapid rotators with periods below 20s; 2016MA with a potential rotational
periodicity of 18.4s, and 2017QG rotating in 11.9s, and estimate the
fraction of fast/ultra-rapid rotators undetected in our project plus the
percentage of NEOs with a moderate/long periodicity undetectable during our
typical observing blocks. We summarize the findings of a simple model of
synthetic NEOs to infer the object morphologies distribution using the measured
distribution of lightcurve amplitudes. This model suggests a uniform
distribution of axis ratio can reproduce the observed sample. This suggests
that the quantity of spherical NEOs (e.g., Bennu) is almost equivalent to the
quantity of highly elongated objects (e.g., Itokawa), a result that can be
directly tested thanks to shape models from Doppler delay radar imaging
analysis. Finally, we fully characterized 2 NEOs as appropriate targets for a
potential robotic/human mission: 2013YS and 2014FA due to their
moderate spin periods and low .Comment: Accepted for Publication, The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Serie
The Near-Earth Encounter of Asteroid 308635 (2005 YU55): Thermal IR Observations
The near-Earth approach (0.00217 AU, or 0.845 lunar distances) of the C-type asteroid 308635 (2005 YU55) in November 2011 presented a rare opportunity for detailed observations of a low-albedo NEA in this size range. As part of a multi-telescope campaign to measure visible and infrared spectra and photometry, we obtained mid-infrared (approx. 8 to 22 micron) photometry and spectroscopy of 2005 YU55 using Michelle on the Gemini North telescope on UT November 9 and 10,2011. An extensive radar campaign together with optical light-curves established the rotation state of YU55. In addition, the radar imaging resulted in a shape model for the asteroid, detection of numerous boulders on its surface, and a preliminary estimate of its equatorial diameter at 380 +/- 20 m. In a preliminary analysis, applying the radar and lightcurve-derived parameters to a rough-surface thermophysical model fit to the Gemini/Michelle thermal emission photometry results in a thermal inertia range of approximately 500 to 1500 J/sq m/0.5s/K, with the low-thermal-inertia solution corresponding to the small end of the radar size range and vice versa. Updates to these results will be presented and modeling of the thermal contribution to the measured near-infrared spectra from Palomar/Triplespec and IRTF/SpeX will also be discussed
Conditional Allocation of Control Rights in Venture Capital Finance
When a young entrepreneurial firm matures, it is often necessary to replace the founding entrepreneur by a professional manager. This replacement decision can be affected by the private benefits of control enjoyed by the entrepreneur which gives rise to a conflict of interest between the entrepreneur and the venture capitalist. We show that a combination of convertible securities and contingent control rights can be used to resolve this conflict efficiently. This contractual arrangement is frequently observed in venture capital finance
Induction of methionine-sulfoxide reductases protects neurons from amyloid β-protein insults in vitro and in vivo
Amyloid β-protein (Aβ) self-assembly into toxic oligomers and fibrillar polymers is believed to cause Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In the AD brain, a high percentage of Aβ contains Met-sulfoxide at position 35, though the role this modification plays in AD is not clear. Oxidation of Met35 to sulfoxide has been reported to decrease Aβ assembly and neurotoxicity, whereas surprisingly, Met35 oxidation to sulfone yields similar toxicity to unoxidized Aβ. We hypothesized that the lower toxicity of Aβ-sulfoxide might result not only from structural alteration of the C-terminal region, but also from activation of methionine-sulfoxide reductase (Msr), an important component of the cellular antioxidant system. Supporting this hypothesis, we found that the low toxicity of Aβ-sulfoxide correlated with induction of Msr activity. In agreement with these observations, in MsrA−/− mice the difference in toxicity between native Aβ and Aβ-sulfoxide was essentially eliminated. Subsequently, we found that treatment with N-acetyl-Met-sulfoxide could induce Msr activity and protect neuronal cells from Aβ toxicity. In addition, we measured Msr activity in a double-transgenic mouse model of AD and found that it was increased significantly relative to non-transgenic mice. Immunization with a novel methionine sulfoxide-rich antigen for six months led to antibody production, decreased Msr activity, and lowered hippocampal plaque burden. The data suggest an important neuroprotective role for the Msr system in the AD brain, which may lead to development of new therapeutic approaches for AD
- …