Pole coordinates and shape of 30 asteroids

Institute of Astronomy, University of Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy

Send offprint request to: C. Blanco

Received: 14 February 1996
Accepted: 10 March 1998

Abstract

To obtain a statistically reliable sample of minor planets with known rotation axis orientation and axes ratios, a selection of photometric lightcurves sufficiently covered to give the elements needed for applying the computation methods of the rotational elements was made. Using the data reported in the "Amplitude-longitude plot catalogue of asteroids" (Riccioli & Blanco 1995) as a starting point, the amplitude-magnitude method (Zappalà et al. 1983a) was adopted. Due to the poor data available, it was possible to apply the method only to 30 asteroids. For more than half of these objects no previous determination of pole coordinates and shape exists in the literature.