THE SCHULHOF FAMILY: SOLVING THE AGE PUZZLE
- Institute of Astronomy, Charles University, V Holešovičkách 2, CZ-18000 Prague 8 (Czech Republic)
- Astronomical Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences, Fričova 298, CZ-251 65 Ondrejov (Czech Republic)
- Institute of Astronomy of Kharkiv National University, Sumska Str. 35, 61022 Kharkiv (Ukraine)
- Kharadze Abastumani Astrophysical Observatory, Ilia State University, K. Cholokoshvili Av. 3/5, Tbilisi 0162, Georgia (United States)
- Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics, RAS, Miusskaya 4, Moscow 125047 (Russian Federation)
- Sugarloaf Mountain Observatory, South Deerfield, MA 01373 (United States)
- Astronomical Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, SK-059 60 Tatranska Lomnica (Slovakia)
- Physics and Astronomy Department, Appalachian State University, 525 Rivers St, Boone, NC 28608 (United States)
- Department of Space Studies, Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302 (United States)
The Schulhof family, a tight cluster of small asteroids around the central main belt body (2384) Schulhof, belongs to a so far rare class of very young families (estimated ages less than 1 Myr). Characterization of these asteroid clusters may provide important insights into the physics of the catastrophic disruption of their parent body. The case of the Schulhof family has been up to now complicated by the existence of two proposed epochs of its origin. In this paper, we first use our own photometric observations, as well as archival data, to determine the rotation rate and spin axis orientation of the largest fragment (2384) Schulhof. Our data also allow us to better constrain the absolute magnitude of this asteroid, and thus also improve the determination of its geometric albedo. Next, using the up-to-date catalog of asteroid orbits, we perform a new search of smaller members in the Schulhof family, increasing their number by 50%. Finally, the available data are used to access Schulhof's family age anew. We now find that the younger of the previously proposed two ages of this family is not correct, resulting from a large orbital uncertainty of single-opposition members. Our new runs reveal a single age solution of about 800 kyr with a realistic uncertainty of 200 kyr.
- OSTI ID:
- 22520000
- Journal Information:
- Astronomical Journal (Online), Vol. 151, Issue 3; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1538-3881
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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