Between 2002 and 2016, a large number of rotational lightcurve of Debussy were obtained from photometric observations by predominantly Swiss, French and German astronomers. Best rated lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 26.606 hours with a brightness variation of 1.04–1.13 magnitude, which indicates that the body is highly elongated (U=3/3).[5][6][15]
Satellite
In November 2002, during the first photometric observations by Swiss astronomer Raoul Behrend at Geneva Observatory in collaboration with several other European astronomers, it was revealed that Debussy is a synchronous binary system with a minor-planet moon in orbit (F-type binary). The satellite's orbital period is 26.606 hours, identical to the primary's rotation. The system's secondary-to-primary mean-diameter ratio is 0.643.[6] The Johnston archive derives a diameter of 9.39 kilometers for the moon, and estimates that it has a semi-major axis of approximately 31 kilometers.[7] After additional follow-up observations had been made, the discovery was announced on 21 March 2004.[6] The moon's provisional designation is S/2004 (4492) 1. The collaboration of astronomers from 26 observatories also discovered satellites in orbit of the main-belt asteroids 854 Frostia, 1089 Tama and 1313 Berna.[6]
^ abcdUsui, Fumihiko; Kuroda, Daisuke; Müller, Thomas G.; Hasegawa, Sunao; Ishiguro, Masateru; Ootsubo, Takafumi; et al. (October 2011). "Asteroid Catalog Using Akari: AKARI/IRC Mid-Infrared Asteroid Survey". Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan. 63 (5): 1117–1138. Bibcode:2011PASJ...63.1117U. doi:10.1093/pasj/63.5.1117. (online, AcuA catalog p. 153)
^ abcdeMarchis, F.; Enriquez, J. E.; Emery, J. P.; Mueller, M.; Baek, M.; Pollock, J.; et al. (November 2012). "Multiple asteroid systems: Dimensions and thermal properties from Spitzer Space Telescope and ground-based observations". Icarus. 221 (2): 1130–1161. arXiv:1604.05384. Bibcode:2012Icar..221.1130M. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2012.09.013. S2CID161887.
^ abcdMasiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Nugent, C.; et al. (November 2012). "Preliminary Analysis of WISE/NEOWISE 3-Band Cryogenic and Post-cryogenic Observations of Main Belt Asteroids". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 759 (1): 5. arXiv:1209.5794. Bibcode:2012ApJ...759L...8M. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/759/1/L8. S2CID46350317.