A 3-D Shape Model of (704) Interamnia from Its Occultations and Lightcurves

Abstract

A 3-D shape model of the sixth largest of the main belt asteroids, (704) Interamnia, is presented. The model is reproduced from its two stellar occultation observations and six lightcurves between 1969 and 2011. The first stellar occultation was the occultation of TYC 234500183 on 1996 December 17 observed from 13 sites in the USA. An elliptical cross section of (344.6 ± 9.6 km) × (306.2 ± 9.1 km), for position angle P = 73.4 ± 12.5 ° was fitted. The lightcurve around the occultation shows that the peak-to-peak amplitude was 0.04 mag. and the occultation phase was just before the minimum. The second stellar occultation was the occultation of HIP 036189 on 2003 March 23 observed from 39 sites in Japan and Hawaii. An elliptical cross section of (349.8 ± 0.9 km) × (303.7 ± 1.7 km), for position angle P = 86.0 ± 1.1 ° was fitted. A companion of 8.5 mag. of the occulted star was discovered whose separation is 12 ± 2 mas (milli-arcseconds), P = 148 ± 11 ° . A combined analysis of rotational lightcurves and occultation chords can return more information than can be obtained with either technique alone. From follow-up photometric observations of the asteroid between 2003 and 2011, its rotation period is determined to be 8.728967167 ± 0.00000007 hours, which is accurate enough to fix the rotation phases at other occultation events. The derived north pole is λ 2000 = 259 ± 8 ° , β 2000 = -50 ± 5 ° (retrograde rotation); the lengths of the three principal axes are 2 a = 361.8 ± 2.8 km, 2 b = 324.4 ± 5.0 km, 2 c = 297.3 ± 3.5 km, and the mean diameter is D = 326.8 ± 3.0 km. Supposing the mass of Interamnia as (3.5 ± 0.9) × 10 - 11 solar masses, the density is then ρ = 3.8 ± 1.0 g · cm -3 .