Date : October, 12th      Time : Thursday, 4-5pm      Place : Seminar room: Science 103

Title : Talk 1: talk to the science education class of Dr. Keith West
Talk 2: department seminar.
Title: Near Earth Asteroid Photometry Program at McDonald Observatory

Speaker : Dr. Judit Györgyey Ries.

Affiliation : Texas A&M Commerce

Abstract :

The McDonald Observatory Near Earth Object (NEO) group has been involved in confirmation and follow-up efforts since 1995. Expanding this program from astrometry to astrophysics of NEOs, we are attempting to derive rotational periods and, when possible, absolute magnitudes for Near Earth Asteroids including Potentially Hazardous objects. Up to the present, we have obtained lightcurves for eight asteroids and we were able to determine definite rotational periods and amplitudes of variations for three of those objects. Careful analysis asteroid light curve can provide information about the shapes and size of asteroids, which combined with rotational periods, can give us insight to the structure of these objects .

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