Speaker
Description
Near-Earth object (NEO) models are a useful tool for interpreting asteroid behaviour in near-Earth space (perihelion distances < 1.3 au). They can predict many asteroid properties such the size-dependent transport from the main-belt (Granvik et al., 2018; Nesvorný et al., 2023) and the disruptive processes of low perihelia passage (Granvik et al., 2016; Wiegart et al., 2020). They can also estimate the frequency of Earth impactors (Harris & Chodas, 2021; Morbidelli et al., 2020) and trace the origins of meteorites to the main asteroid belt (e.g. Brown et al., 2023).
Models to date use telescopic data covering NEOs with diameters ranging from the order of a kilometre down to around 30 metres (absolute magnitude range H=17 to H=25). Calibrating models based solely on telescopically observed NEOs is a limitation when making predictions for smaller impacting meteoroids and meteorite precursors. We approach NEO modelling from a new direction and calibrate a NEO model to Earth impactors with data from the Global Fireball Observatory (Devillepoix et al., 2020), using more than 1,200 triangulated fireballs to probe the centimetre to metre-sized bodies. We present the modelling methodology and preliminary results, discussing the challenges of using a relatively smaller dataset.
References
Brown, P. G., McCausland, P. J. A., Hildebrand, A. R., et al. 2023, Meteoritics and Planetary Science, 58, 1773. Devillepoix, H. A. R., Cupák, M., Bland, P. A., et al. 2020, Planetary and Space Science, 191, 105036. Granvik, M., Morbidelli, A., Jedicke, R., et al. 2016, Nature, 530, 303. Granvik, M., Morbidelli, A., Jedicke, R., et al. 2018, Icarus, 312, 181. Harris, A. W. & Chodas, P. W. 2021, Icarus, 365, 114452. Morbidelli, A., Delbo, M., Granvik, M., et al. 2020, Icarus, 340, 113631. Nesvorný, D., Deienno, R., Bottke, W. F., et al. 2023, The Astronomical Journal, 166, 55. Wiegert, P., Brown, P., Pokorný, P., et al. 2020, The Astronomical Journal, 159, 143.