Rotating Bodies and Their Lightcurves

Abstract

This report discusses the theoretical impossibility of deducing the surface reflectivity of a rotating illuminated body from its lightcurve. We first derive the lightcurve for an arbitrary convex body as an expansion in spherical harmonics. From the form of the resulting lightcurve and its Fourier series the negative result follows immediately.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 03, 1978
Accession Number
ADA063502

Entities

People

  • Laurence G. Taff

Organizations

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Artificial Satellites
  • Astronomy
  • Bodies
  • Convex Bodies
  • Coordinate Systems
  • Fourier Series
  • Harmonics
  • Instructions
  • Inverse Problems
  • Line Of Sight
  • Observers
  • Reflectivity
  • Rotation
  • Security
  • Spherical Harmonics

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Space Exploration and Orbital Mechanics.
  • Theoretical Analysis.