Abstract
The brightness-time variation (the lightcurve) of an asteroid is observed to obtain the rate of rotation, some indication of the shape, and the orientation of the rotation axis in space. The brightness-phase relations are observed for the study of surface texture.This paper deals specifically with observing routines and reductions, including discussions of lightcurves, rotation periods, absolute magnitudes, phase coefficients, opposition effects, and pole determinations. This paper supplements the review chapter by Gehrels (1970). Only photoelectric techniques are considered because the visual and photographic ones are, nearly without exception, not precise enough.
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
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