POTENTIAL BINARY AND TUMBLING ASTEROIDS FROM THE CENTER FOR SOLAR SYSTEM STUDIES.

Abstract

CCD photometric observations of four main-belt and one near-Earth asteroid were made in 2019. Of these, the Vestoid 2602 Moore and Hungaria (27568) 2000 PT6 were confirmed to be binary asteroids. The Hungaria 3880 Kaiserman is a suspected binary. Near-Earth asteroid (142040) 2002 QE15 was found to have a long period (46.4 h). Re-evaluation of data for the asteroid from two previous apparitions found a secondary period that is consistent with the system being a candidate for the rare class of very wide binary asteroids. New analysis of the data from 2016 for Phocaea member 2937 Gibbs found two periods (the second being ambiguous). It could not be determined if the asteroid is binary or in a tumbling state.