Primo Pole Project in an n ongoing project, that was introduced by Dr. Marco Delbo and his team in Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur (OCA) in Nice, France.

Primordial family

The Primordial family the low-albedo asteroids, which are enclosed between in between the "Primordial" and the "Polana" lines in the Figure. Identification of a primordial asteroid family constrains the original planetesimal population. This is a very old asteroid family (~4.0 Gyr old), which could be as old as the Solar System and this is the reason why it is called "primordial".

The distribution of the known pole ecliptic latitude (β) of Primordial family members, where the blueish (β<0) are retrograde rotators and reddish/yellowish (β>0) prograde. Only the left side of the V shape of the family has been identified as the right one with those of other known families.

The working hypothesis that we want to be tested is that according to theories of asteroid orbital evolution under the Yarkosvky effect, members of the inward (outward) side of V-shape of a family have a statistical predominance of retrograde (prograde) objects. In order to achieve this, we have to observe the family members, to reveal their spin state and to enrich the above distribution.