When is the size and shape of an asteroid determined?

While I was working on an asteroid capture mission, I reverted and retried the launch of my craft many times. I noticed that the mass of the asteroid seemed to be different each time I got to it. It was definitely the same asteroid each time (I was reverting to a saved game in which I was already tracking the asteroid, and its orbit was always the same).

This leads me to believe that the size and shape of the asteroid might be determined neither when it first appears in the tracking station as an unknown object nor when you start tracking it. When are these properties determined? Is it when the asteroid actually comes into view of an owned craft (or other object) for the first time?

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How is the size of an asteroid determined?

Darker objects reflect little sunlight, so to a telescope from millions of miles away, a large dark asteroid can appear the same as a small, light one. In other words, the brightness of an asteroid viewed in visible light is the result of both its albedo and size.

How do asteroids get their shape?

Their shapes result from their geological makeup. Bennu and Ryugu "are rubble piles," Springmann said. "They are just piles of gravel." These two asteroids are extremely porous, and held together by forces (opens in new tab) other than gravity or friction, such as the weak van der Waals force.

What is the size and shape of asteroids?

An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to dwarf planets almost 1000 km in diameter; they are metallic or rocky bodies with no atmosphere.

How do scientists predict asteroids?

Using radar tracking data, NEO observers can more precisely determine the orbital path of an asteroid and predict that path out years into the future. Observing an asteroid for less than an hour with radar will provide a more precise determination of the orbit than months of observations from an optical telescope.

ASTEROIDS Size Comparison 🌑

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