Presidential Young Investigator (PYI) Award - Planets and Asteroids. Dr. Binzel will use this Presidential Young Investigator Award to continue his multi-faceted observational and theoretical research on the planet Pluto and asteroids in the Solar System. For the Pluto-Charon system, Dr. Binzel is attempting to derive physical parameters, such as diameters, masses, and densitites, from the rare geometry of the planet and its satellite. Dr. Binzel's asteroid research involves studying the characteristics of clusters of asteroids which represent the outcome of large natural collision experiments. Collisional processes are a significant factor in the evolution of the remnant planetesimals known as asteroids. By understanding the collisional processing that has occurred, the original planetesimal population can be characterized and used to constrain models for the formation of the Solar System. The Pluto-Charon system is undergoing a once-per-century alignment which results in a series of mutual eclipses for Earth-based observers. Careful observations of these events could lead to the derivation of physical parameters of the components of the system. Dr. Binzel's research will address both the evolutionary properties of asteroids, and precise physical properties of Pluto-Charon.
