The IMPACTON Project: Pole and Shape of Eight Near-Earth Asteroids

The formation and evolution of Solar System small bodies, in particular those in near-Earth orbits, is a complex problem which solution strongly depends on a better knowledge of their physical properties. To contribute to the international efforts in this direction the IMPACTON project (www.on.br/IMPACTON) set up a dedicated facility denominated Observatorio Astronomico do Sertao de Itaparica (OASI). Using the 1-m telescope several dozens of NEAs were observed between March 2012 and October 2014. Here we will present the results obtained for 8 objects. Relative magnitudes were used to obtain lightcurves and derive rotational periods. Applying the inversion method developed by Kaasalainen and Torppa (2001) and Kaasalainen et al. (2001), along with lightcurves from literature, allowed to refine the rotational period of these asteroids as well as to derive their pole direction and shape. The obtained results confirm a lack of poles toward the ecliptic and with a majority of retrograde rotators. A more representative sample, however, is needed in order to drive robust conclusions.