Pole, albedo and shape of the minor planets 624 Hektor and 43 Ariadne: Two tests for comparing four different pole determination methods

Abstract

Asteroids 624 Hektor and 43 Ariadne have been observed photometrically at the European Southern Observatory (La Silla, Chile) in order to determine their pole orientation. The lightcurves (1984 and 1991 oppositions for Hektor, and 1985 for Ariadne) are presented. Some of the traditional pole determination methods have been improved, and completely original ones have been developed. They are described and applied to the newly recorded and previously published light curves. The results are commented and compared with previous ones. In addition to the pole orientation, we also derive some information on the shape or the albedo distribtuion of the objects. With the aim of optimizing future observations of these asteroids, we present some graphs showing the best longitudes where they should be measured. Finally, we suggest some improvements in the pole determination and modeling methods based upon photometric data