Thermal Properties and an Improved Shape Model for Near-Earth Asteroid (162421) 2000 ET70

Sean E. Marshall, Ellen S. Howell, Christopher Magri, Ronald J. Vervack Jr., Donald B. Campbell, Yanga R. Fernández, Michael C. Nolan, Jenna L. Crowell, Michael D. Hicks, Kenneth J. Lawrence, Patrick A. Taylor

Published 2016-10-14Version 1

We present thermal properties and an improved shape model for potentially hazardous asteroid (162421) 2000 ET70. In addition to the radar data from 2000 ET70's apparition in 2012, our model incorporates optical lightcurves and infrared spectra that were not included in the analysis of Naidu et al. (2013, Icarus 226, 323-335). We confirm the general "clenched fist" appearance of the previous model but find the asteroid's dimensions to be somewhat different at 2.90 km $\times$ 2.24 km $\times$ 1.50 km. In particular, the lightcurves favor a model that is significantly shorter along its z-axis (rotation axis) than the model of Naidu et al. With the available data, 2000 ET70's period and pole position are degenerate with each other. The radar and lightcurve data together constrain the pole direction to fall along an arc that is about thirty degrees long and nine degrees wide. Infrared spectra from the NASA InfraRed Telescope Facility (IRTF) provide an additional constraint on the pole. Thermophysical modeling, using our SHERMAN software, shows that only a subset of the pole directions, about twelve degrees of that arc, are compatible with the infrared data. Using all of the available data, we find that 2000 ET70 has a sidereal rotation period of 8.944 hours ($\pm$ 0.1%) and a north pole direction of ecliptic coordinates (52{\deg}, -60{\deg}) $\pm$ 6{\deg}. The infrared data, acquired over several dates, require that the thermal properties (albedo, thermal inertia, surface roughness) must change across the asteroid's surface. By incorporating the detailed shape model and spin state into our thermal modeling, the multiple ground-based observations at different viewing geometries have allowed us to characterize the levels of the variations in the surface properties of this asteroid.