13 Luglio, 2022, ore 11:00
Speaker: Davide Perna da Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma
Abstract: The proximity of near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) allows us to investigate the physical properties of small bodies down to the decameter-scale. A dedicated space mission to such small NEAs will be key to shed light on accretion mechanisms that took place in the protoplanetary disk. Extended ground-based observations will be also fundamental to fully characterize the physical diversity of the NEA population, whose discovery rate is exponentially growing in recent years. Besides its relevance for our understanding of solar system and planetary science, NEA investigation is also essential to increase our capacity of mitigating the asteroid threat of collision with the Earth. Some recent work and future perspectives related to the science of NEAs will be presented and discussed.