Spring 2024 Seminar Series: Sean Marshall, FSI

Radar observations make it possible to obtain spatially resolved images of near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) from ground-based telescopes. A powerful series of radio waves is transmitted toward the asteroid, and the recorded echoes can be decoded in time (delay) and Doppler frequency to produce two-dimensional images of the target. I will discuss how radar images can be combined with other observational data to determine an asteroid’s size, shape, rotation state, and other properties. I also will present my analysis of how many NEAs would be detectable with past, present, and potential future radar facilities.