Spectral Analysis of the Massalia Asteroid Family
Abstract
Asteroid families are remnants of larger parent bodies that were broken apart in a past collisional event. Due to their common origin, asteroids within the same family tend to exhibit similar spectra to one another. We analyzed data from a visible and near-infrared wavelength spectral survey of Massalia family members to study the composition of the family. The Massalia family consists of S-type asteroids that show broad spectral absorption features at 1 and 2 microns. By analyzing these absorption features, we can determine the composition and most likely meteorite analog for the family. We examine these spectral features, by calculating the Band 1 Center, Band 2 Center, and Band Area Ratio (BAR). The Band Centers are the local minima of the bands after the continuum has been removed and the BAR is the ratio of the area of the 2 micron band to the area of the 1 micron band. The Band Centers are indicative of the mineralogy of the olivine and pyroxene of the asteroid. The BAR shows the relative abundance of olivine and pyroxene on the surface of the object. Gaffey et al. (1993) used Band 1 Center and BAR to identify distinct compositional S-subtypes which have been correlated to potential meteorite analogs. We use the Gaffey et al. regions to determine the best meteorite analog for each member of the Massalia family. We also use the Band 1 Center and Band 2 Center to further distinguish between the spectrally similar H ordinary chondrites and, the Acapulcoite and Lodranite primitive achondrites (Lucas et al. 2019). Through conducting this spectral analysis we conclude that the Massalia family asteroids are most similar to H ordinary chondrites.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #235
- Pub Date:
- January 2020
- Bibcode:
- 2020AAS...23527707H