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Abstract: The results of V-band polarimetric observations of the potentially hazardous near-Earth Asteroid (23187) 2000 PN9 at large phase angles are presented as well as its photometric observations in BVRI bands. Observations were made in March–April 2006 during its close approach to the Earth using the 1.82-m Asiago telescope (Italy) and the 0.7-m telescope at the Chuguevskaya Observational Station (Ukraine). We obtained polarimetric measurements at the phase angle of 115°, the largest phase angle ever observed in asteroid polarimetry. Our data show that the maximum value of the polarization phase curve reached 7.7% and occurred in the phase angle range of 90–115°. The measured values of linear polarization degree, BVRI colors and magnitude-phase dependence correspond to the S-type composition of this asteroid. Based on our observations the following characteristics of the Asteroid (23187) 2000 PN9 were obtained: a rotation period of , a lightcurve amplitude of 0.13 mag, an albedo of and a diameter of . [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: New UBVRI polarimetric observations of ten asteroids, including space mission targets 1 Ceres and 21 Lutetia, are presented. These observations were obtained with the 1.25-m telescope of the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory and have been used to study the wavelength dependence of polarization for a sample of asteroids belonging to the M and low albedo classes. A more general analysis including also a larger data set of UBVRI polarimetric observations available in the literature for more than 50 main belt asteroids belonging to different taxonomic classes shows that the variation of the polarization degree as a function of wavelength is generally well described by a linear trend. It typically does not exceed 0.2% in the studied spectral range 0.37–0.83 microns and tends to increase for increasing phase angle. Asteroids belonging to the S and M classes are found to exhibit a deeper negative branch and smaller positive polarization for increasing wavelength (negative sign of the slope of ). Since the objects belonging to these classes are known to exhibit reddish reflectance spectra, the observed wavelength behavior of negative polarization contradicts the well-known inverse correlation of and albedo. Low albedo asteroids show larger dispersion of spectral slopes, but the overall trend is characterized by a shallower negative branch and a larger positive polarization for increasing wavelength (positive sign of the slope of ). A few exceptions from this general trend are discussed. The observed variety in the wavelength dependence of asteroid polarization seems to be mainly attributed to surface composition. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The first results of the observational program devoted to simultaneous investigation of asteroid polarimetric and photometric opposition phenomena are presented. UBVRI polarimetric and V-band photometric observations of the S-type Asteroid 20 Massalia and the E-type Asteroids 214 Aschera and 620 Drakonia were carried out in 1996–1999 down to phase angles of 0.08°, 0.7°, and 1.2°, correspondingly. The S-type Asteroid 20 Massalia is characterized by the pronounced brightness opposition surge with an amplitude larger than that observed for the E-type asteroids. A sharp peak of negative polarization at small phase angles was not observed for this asteroid. The value of polarization degree at phase angle α<1° is less than 0.5% for both S and E types. The negative polarization branches of S and especially E-asteroids have an asymmetrical shape. The phase angle at which the polarization minimum occurs is close to the angle at which non-linear increase begins in the asteroid magnitude phase curves. A relation of the observed effects to the mechanism of coherent backscattering is discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]