Lightcurve (Planetary Science)

Barucci, Maria Antonietta

doi:10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_883

Maria Antonietta Barucci⁸

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Synonyms

Light variation

Definition

The lightcurve describes the temporal variation of the brightness of an object.

Overview

The lightcurve shows the temporal variation of the brightness of a celestial body at a given wavelength. When due to the rotation of an object, the lightcurve generally has a sinusoidal periodic behavior with two maxima and two minima. In planetary science, the lightcurve is the most useful tool for investigating the rotational properties and the shape of a body, mainly of small ones: asteroids, satellites, comets, and transneptunian objects.

Most small bodies cannot be resolved since the apparent angular size of the object is in general smaller than the observer’s angular resolution; therefore, analysis of the lightcurve can be used to determine the shape and the surface spots of the observed body.

For an airless body each point of the lightcurve represents the fraction of the sunlight reflected by the illuminated portion of the body surface in the direction of...

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References and Further Reading

Kaasalainen M, Mottola S, Fulchignoni M (2002) Asteroid models from disk-integrated data. In: Bottke WF, Cellino A, Paolicchi P, Binzel RP (eds) Asteroids III. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, pp 139–150
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Authors and Affiliations

LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, Meudon Principal Cedex, France
Dr. Maria Antonietta Barucci

Authors

Dr. Maria Antonietta Barucci
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Correspondence to Maria Antonietta Barucci .

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Editors and Affiliations

Astrophysicist, Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Bordeaux, BP 89, 33270, Floirac, France
Muriel Gargaud
Departamento de Planetología y Habitabilidad Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Campus Cantoblanco, Torrejón de Ardoz, 28049, Madrid, Spain
Ricardo Amils
Department of Astrophysics, Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC) Ctra de Ajalvir km 4, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain
José Cernicharo Quintanilla
Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5251 Broad Branch Rd. NW, Washington, DC, 20015, USA
Henderson James (Jim) Cleaves II
Department of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts Lederle Graduate Research, 710 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA, 01003-9305, USA
William M. Irvine
GEOTOP & Départment des Sciences de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec à Montréal, CP 8888, succ. Centre-Ville, Montréal, QC, H3C 3P8, Canada
Daniele L. Pinti
Astrobiology, CNES/DSP/EU, 2 place Maurice-Quentin, 75039, Paris, France
Michel Viso

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Barucci, M.A. (2011). Lightcurve (Planetary Science). In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_883

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_883
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-11271-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-11274-4
eBook Packages: Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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