Gaia Mission Reveals New Binary Asteroid Candidates Through Stellar Occultation Study
Researchers used stellar occultations to characterize 357 potential binary asteroid candidates identified by the Gaia mission's high-precision astrometry, conducting 165 observations between October 2023 and February 2026. The study found four objects showing indications of binary or contact binary features, providing unprecedented physical and astrometric constraints for most targets. This work demonstrates how combining Gaia data with ground-based occultation observations creates a self-improving cycle for discovering and characterizing binary asteroids, which are key to understanding Solar System formation.
Researchers conducted a comprehensive observational campaign to characterize binary asteroid candidates identified through the Gaia mission's high-precision astrometry. The study, part of the GaiaMoons program, targeted 357 potential binary asteroids and performed 165 stellar occultation observations on 101 targets between October 2023 and February 2026. Four objects—1127 Mimi, 35420 1998 AG6, 206 Hersilia, and 36882 2000 SW155—showed indications of binary or contact binary features. For the vast majority of observed targets, the resulting dataset provided unique physical and astrometric constraints that had never been obtained through stellar occultations before. The research illustrates how combining Gaia's space-based precision measurements with ground-based occultation campaigns creates a synergistic approach to discovering and characterizing binary asteroids, which are crucial for understanding fundamental parameters of Solar System remnants and planetary formation processes.
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- arXiv astro-phCenter
Detection and characterisation of binary asteroid candidates through stellar occultations
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