Compositional properties of planet-crossing asteroids from astronomical surveys
Abstract
Context. The study of planet-crossing asteroids is of both practical and fundamental importance. As they are closer than asteroids in the Main Belt, we have access to a smaller size range, and this population frequently impacts planetary surfaces and can pose a threat to life.
Aims: We aim to characterize the compositions of a large corpus of planet-crossing asteroids and to study how these compositions are related to orbital and physical parameters.
Methods: We gathered publicly available visible colors of near-Earth objects (NEOs) from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and SkyMapper surveys. We also computed SDSS-compatible colors from reflectance spectra of the Gaia mission and a compilation of ground-based observations. We determined the taxonomy of each NEO from its colors and studied the distribution of the taxonomic classes and spectral slope against the orbital parameters and diameter.
Results: We provide updated photometry for 470 NEOs from the SDSS, and taxonomic classification of 7401 NEOs. We classify 42 NEOs that are mission-accessible, including six of the seven flyby candidates of the ESA Hera mission. We confirm the perihelion dependence of spectral slope among S-type NEOs, likely related to a rejuvenation mechanism linked with thermal fatigue. We also confirm the clustering of A-type NEOs around 1.5-2 AU, and predict the taxonomic distribution of small asteroids in the NEO source regions in the Main Belt.
- Publication:
-
Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Pub Date:
- November 2023
- DOI:
- 10.1051/0004-6361/202346394
- arXiv:
- arXiv:2309.03555
- Bibcode:
- 2023A&A...679A.148S
- Keywords:
-
- minor planets;
- asteroids: general;
- methods: data analysis;
- surveys;
- techniques: photometric;
- Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 20 pages, 27 figures