Rotation Light Curves and Taxonomy of 15$^{\mathrm{th}}$ to 19$^{\mathrm{th}}$ Magnitude Asteroids

Knowledge of the composition, shape and rotation rate of an asteroid is extremely important in; evaluation the impact damage potential; development of impact avoidance strategies; and evaluating the feasibility and economic potential of mining. However, little data exists for the vast majority of known asteroids other than their orbital parameters. Observations made by Tarleton's 0.81-meter telescope has produced several light curves and color indices of asteroids from 15$^{\mathrm{th}}$ to 19$^{\mathrm{th}}$ magnitude. This work represents the unique niche of Tarleton's 0.8m telescope to collect statistically meaningful data as faint as 19$^{\mathrm{th}}$ magnitude. Large professional survey telescopes do not have the time to do follow-up observations while smaller professional/amateur telescopes are too small to achieve a high enough signal to noise ratio to determine rotation periods and composition of the fainter and smaller asteroids. This poster, summarizes and presents some of Tarleton's observations and data analysis.