New determination of the mass of Pallas
Abstract
Until very recently, the mass of minor planet 2 Pallas had been determined from its gravitational effects on only 1 Ceres and the planet Mars. An independent confirmation was therefore highly desirable. This paper presents individual mass determinations based on close encounters with 16 other minor planets, as well as a simultaneous solution using all objects. The resulting value for the mass of Pallas, (1.17 +/- 0.03);10-10 Msun, essentially confirms the result from Ceres alone.
- Publication:
-
Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Pub Date:
- January 2001
- DOI:
- 10.1051/0004-6361:20000023
- Bibcode:
- 2001A&A...365..627G
- Keywords:
-
- ASTROMETRY;
- MINOR PLANETS;
- ASTEROIDS;
- PLANETS AND SATELLITES: INDIVIDUAL: 2 PALLAS