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D. T. Britt (University of Central Florida), G. J. Consolmagno (Vatican Observatory), W.J. Merline (SwRI)
Data on the bulk density of small bodies has exploded over the last 10 years (primarily from observations of asteroid satellites) and has led to significant insights into the structure of these objects [1,2]. This has contributed to the consensus that most small bodies have relatively low bulk densities and probably have significant porosity. Since then, new observations and planetary missions have provided a significantly expanded set of data, broadening the range of object types and sizes. These include the small icy moons measured by the Cassini mission, new AO observations of asteroid moons, new observations of small binaries using lightcurve techniques, new observations of NEO and TNO binaries, new data on comet and Centaur density, and new observations of Trojan binaries. These data provide a window into new size ranges and into new zones of the solar system. We review the available data and update our compilations of estimated porosity for small bodies. References: [1] Merline, W.J. et al. (2002) Asteroids III (Bottke W. et al., eds, 289-312. [2] Britt D.T. et al., (2002) Asteroids III (Bottke W. et al., eds), 485-500.
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 37 #3
© 2004. The American Astronomical Soceity.