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arXiv · 1106.5238

Photometric Observations of 107P/Wilson-Harrington

Seitaro Urakawa·Shin-ichiro Okumura·Kota Nishiyama·Tsuyoshi Sakamoto·Noritsugu Takahashi·Shinsuke Abe·Masateru Ishiguro·Kohei Kitazato·Daisuke Kuroda·Sunao Hasegawa·Kouji Ohta·Nobuyuki Kawai·Yasuhiro Shimizu·Shogo Nagayama·Kenshi Yanagisawa·Michitoshi Yoshida·Makoto Yoshikawa
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Abstract

We present lightcurve observations and multiband photometry for 107P/Wilson-Harrington using five small- and medium-sized telescopes. The lightcurve has shown a periodicity of 0.2979 day (7.15 hour) and 0.0993 day (2.38 hour), which has a commensurability of 3:1. The physical properties of the lightcurve indicate two models: (1) 107P/Wilson-Harrington is a tumbling object with a sidereal rotation period of 0.2979 day and a precession period of 0.0993 day. The shape has a long axis mode (LAM) of L1:L2:L3 = 1.0:1.0:1.6. The direction of the total rotational angular momentum is around {\lambda} = 310{\deg}, {\beta} = -10{\deg}, or {\lambda} = 132{\deg}, {\beta} = -17{\deg}. The nutation angle is approximately constant at 65{\deg}. (2) 107P/Wilson-Harrington is not a tumbler. The sidereal rotation period is 0.2979 day. The shape is nearly spherical but slightly hexagonal with a short axis mode (SAM) of L1:L2:L3 = 1.5:1.5:1.0. The pole orientation is around {\lambda} = 330{\deg}, {\beta} = -27{\deg}. In addition, the model includes the possibility of binary hosting. For both models, the sense of rotation is retrograde. Furthermore, multiband photometry indicates that the taxonomy class of 107P/Wilson-Harrington is C-type. No clear rotational color variations are confirmed on the surface.

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Seitaro Urakawa, Shin-ichiro Okumura, Kota Nishiyama, Tsuyoshi Sakamoto, Noritsugu Takahashi, Shinsuke Abe, Masateru Ishiguro, Kohei Kitazato, Daisuke Kuroda, Sunao Hasegawa, Kouji Ohta, Nobuyuki Kawai, Yasuhiro Shimizu, Shogo Nagayama, Kenshi Yanagisawa, Michitoshi Yoshida, Makoto Yoshikawa. 2011-06-26. Photometric Observations of 107P/Wilson-Harrington. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2011.06.044

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