The Asteroid Lightcurve Data Exchange Format (ALCDEF) was introduced at
the 2010 Division of Planetary Sciences meeting. The idea is to standardize minimum
data requirements and format so that exchanging data sets among researchers is
as simple as possible.
There is also a
Simple ALCDEF (S-ALCDEF) format
for those wanting to upload legacy data or from programs
that do not generate full ALCDEF files with a minimum.
Download
the combined ALCDEFand S-ALCDEF standards document.
The ALCDEF initiative also includes storing data on a long-term, centralized system
that will be regularly maintained. The site is now privately hosted and there is a
mirror of the MySQL database on a virtual machine at the NASA Small Bodies Node in
Tucson, AZ.
The ALCDEF site displays the individual plots for submitted data as well as a
phase angle bisector longitude plot that highlights the longitude for a selected
lightcurve. This allows determining the breadth of coverage (different viewing
aspects) for modeling as well as planning observations.
Individual lightcurve blocks or the entire set for a given asteroid can be
downloaded as a ALCDEF-compliant file.
It is vital that asteroid photometry be recorded for posterity.
Lightcurve data can be used to determine rotation periods and model the spin axis
and/or shape of an asteroid. Far too much of past data are in disarray, following
any number of formats, if available at all.
Please consider submitting your data to the ALCDEF database as soon as
possible.
ALCDEF web site