Physical parameters of near-Earth asteroid 2017 VR12 from radar and optical photometric observations

Bondarenko Yu. S., Marshalov D. A., Medvedev Yu. D., Kornienko G. I., Kochergin A. V., Zheltobryukhov M. S., Benner L. A.

EPSC Abstracts, V. 12, EPSC2018-832, 832–833 (2018)

Abstract

We report results of bistatic radar and optical photometric observations of near-Earth Asteroid 2017 VR12. This asteroid closest approach was on March 7 at a distance of 0.0097 au. The continuous wave echo power spectra were obtained during March 5, 2018 using Goldstone radar to transmit and 32-m radio telescopes in Zelenchukskaya and Badary observatories to receive the echoes. Light curve data were made using 0.65 m telescope at the Ussuriysk Astrophysical Observatory on March 6, 2018. We find that the asteroid rotates with a period 1.378 ± 0.03 hours and have a pole-on silhouette breadth of 138 m. Our estimates of radar albedo are 0.32 ± 0.04 and 0.31 ± 0.04 and the circular polarization ratios are 0.36 ± 0.02 and 0.34 ± 0.01 for Zelenchukskaya and Badary correspondingly.