Space Weathering within C-complex Main Belt Asteroid Families
Abstract
Using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Moving Object Catalog, we study color as a function of size for C-complex families in the main asteroid belt to improve our understanding of space weathering of carbonaceous materials. We find two distinct spectral slope trends: Hygiea type and Themis type. The Hygiea-type families exhibit a reduction in spectral slope with increasing object size until a minimum slope value is reached and the trend reverses with increasing slope with increasing object size. The Themis family shows an increase in spectral slope with increasing object size until a maximum slope is reached and the spectral slope begins to decrease slightly or plateaus for the largest objects. Most families studied show the Hygiea-type trend. The processes responsible for these distinct changes in spectral slope affect several different taxonomic classes within the C-complex and appear to act quickly to alter the spectral slopes of the family members.
- Publication:
-
The Astronomical Journal
- Pub Date:
- March 2021
- DOI:
- 10.3847/1538-3881/abd2b8
- arXiv:
- arXiv:2101.08822
- Bibcode:
- 2021AJ....161...99T
- Keywords:
-
- Main belt asteroids;
- Solar system astronomy;
- Asteroids;
- Hirayama families;
- 2036;
- 1529;
- 72;
- 742;
- Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 13 pages, 6 figures, 1 table, to be published in the Astronomical Journal