New reflectance spectra of 40 asteroids: A comparison with the previous results and an interpretation

This paper presents and discusses selected reflectance spectra of 40 Main Belt asteroids. The spectra have been obtained by the author in the Crimean Laboratory of the Sternberg Astronomical Institute (2003–2009). The aim is to search for new spectral features that characterize the composition of the asteroids’ material. The results are compared with earlier findings to reveal substantial irregularities in the distribution of the chemical-mineralogical compositions of the surface material of a number of minor planets (10 Hygiea, 13 Egeria, 14 Irene, 21 Lutetia, 45 Eugenia, 51 Nemausa, 55 Pandora, 64 Angelina, 69 Hesperia, 80 Sappho, 83 Beatrix, 92 Undina, 129 Antigone, 135 Hertha, and 785 Zwetana), which are manifest at different rotation phases. The vast majority of the analyzed high-temperature asteroids demonstrate subtle spectral features of an atypical hydrated and/or carbonaceous chondrite material (in the form of impurities or separate units), which are likely associated with the peculiarities of the formation of these bodies and the subsequent dynamic and impact processes, which lead, inter alia, to the delivery of atypical materials. Studies of 4 Vesta aboard NASA’s Dawn spacecraft have found that asteroids of similar types can form their own phyllosilicate generations provided that their surface material contains buried icy or hydrated fragments of impacting bodies. The first evidence has been obtained of a spectral phase effect (SPE) at small phase angles (≤4°) for 10 Hygiea, 21 Lutetia, and, possibly, 4 Vesta. The SPE manifests itself in an increasing spectral coefficient of brightness in the visible range with decreasing wavelength. This effect is present in the reflectance spectrum of CM2 carbonaceous material at a phase angle of 10° and absent at larger angles (Cloutis et al., 2011a). The shape of Hygeia’s reflectance spectra at low phase angles appears to be controlled by the SPE during the most part of its rotation period, which may indicate a predominantly carbonaceous chondrite composition on a part of the asteroid’s surface. For Vesta, the SPE may manifest itself in the flat or slightly concave shape of the asteorid’s reflectance spectra at some of the rotation phases, which is likely caused by the increased number of dark spots on corresponding parts of its surface.     

Asteroids 1 ceres and 4 vesta: Objects of the Dawn space mission

The Dawn spacecraft of the NASA space mission to asteroids 1 Ceres and 4 Vesta was launched in September 2007. The choice of these two asteroids is deeply grounded: they are the largest and most massive objects of the main belt that are completely different in material composition, evolution history, and internal structure. Recently, the results of observations and numerical modeling have shown their amazing uniqueness: they both have experienced the complex process of thermal evolution and differentiation of their internal mineral resources, but have a completely different internal structure. Being the largest bodies, have they managed to resist the process of collisional evolution in the asteroid belt and have survived in their “primitive form.” Because of this, their study is very important from the point of view of cosmogonic problems regarding the asteroid belt and the Solar System as a whole. The present paper shortly reviews the recent progress in the study of Ceres and Vesta achieved due to observations performed on the Earth (including the polarimetric observations made by the authors) and from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) before the long-term orbital investigations performed by the Dawn spacecraft.     

Vesta,Vestoids, and the howardite,eucrite, diogenite group: Relationships and the origin of spectral differences

Abstract— Spectra of asteroid 4 Vesta and 21 small (estimated diameters less than 10 km) asteroids with Vesta‐like spectral properties (Vestoids) were measured at visible and near‐infrared wavelengths (～0.44 to ～1.65 μm). All of the measured small asteroids (except for 2579 Spartacus) have reflectance spectra consistent with surface compositions similar to eucrites and howardites and consistent with all being derived from Vesta. None of the observed asteroids have spectra similar to diogenites. We find no spectral distinction between the 15 objects tabulated as members of the Vesta dynamical family and 6 of the 7 sampled “non‐family” members that reside just outside the semi‐major axis (a), eccentricity (e), and inclination (i) region of the family. The spectral consistency and close orbital (a‐e‐i) match of these “non‐family” objects to Vesta and the Vesta family imply that the true bounds of the family extend beyond the subjective cut‐off for membership. Asteroid 2579 Spartacus has a spectrum consistent with a mixture of eucritic material and olivine. Spartacus could contain olivine‐rich material from Vesta's mantle or may be unrelated to Vesta altogether. Laboratory measurements of the spectra of eucrites show that samples having nearly identical compositions can display a wide range of spectral slopes. Finer particle sizes lead to an increase in the slope, which is usually referred to as reddening. This range of spectral variation for the best‐known meteoritic analogs to the Vestoids, regardless of whether they are actually related to each other, suggests that the extremely red spectral slopes for some Vestoids can be explained by very fine‐grained eucritic material on their surfaces.     

Spots on asteroid surfaces: Research opportunities using ground-based instruments

We discuss possible mechanisms for the formation of albedo spots on asteroids. We infer that the most likely mechanisms are impact cratering and related processes. This is confirmed by the reflectance spectra of the asteroids 10 Hygiea, 135 Hertha, and 196 Philomela, the results of a spectral frequency analysis of the sizes of features on the surface of 4 Vesta and 21 Lutetia, and the estimates for the parameters of impact features.     

The Surface Structure of the M-Type Asteroid 21 Lutetia: Spectral and Frequency Analysis

A preliminary study of the surface of the asteroid 21 Lutetia with ground-based methods is of significant importance, because this object is included into the Rosetta space mission schedule. From August 31 to November 20, 2000, about 50 spectra of Lutetia and the same number of spectra of the solar analog HD10307 (G2V) and regional standards were obtained with a resolution of 4 and 3 nm at the MTM-500 telescope television system of the Crimean astrophysical observatory. From these data, the synthetic magnitudes of the asteroid in the BRV color system have been obtained, the reflected light fluxes have been determined in absolute units, and its reflectance spectra have been calculated for a range of 370–740 nm. In addition, from the asteroid reflectance spectra obtained at different rotation phases, the values of the equivalent width of the most intensive absorption band centered at 430–440 nm and attributed to hydrosilicates of the serpentine type have been calculated. A frequency analysis of the values V(1, 0) confirmed the rotation period of Lutetia 0.^d3405 (8.^h172) and showed a two-humped light curve with a maximal amplitude of 0.^m25. The color indices B-V and V-R showed no noticeable variations with this period. A frequency analysis of the equivalent widths of the absorption band of hydrosilicates near 430–440 nm points to the presence of many significant frequencies, mainly from 15 to 20 c/d (c/d is the number of cycles per day), which can be caused by a heterogeneous distribution of hydrated material on the surface of Lutetia. The sizes of these heterogeneities (or spots) on the asteroid surface have been estimated at 3–5 to 70 km with the most frequent value between 30 and 40 km.     

Collisional evolution of the asteroid belt

A new synthesis of asteroid collisional evolution is motivated by the question of whether most asteroids larger than ∼1 km size are strengthless gravitational aggregates (rubble piles). NEAR found Eros not to be a rubble pile, but a shattered collisional fragment, with a through-going fracture system, and an average of about 20 m regolith cover. Of four asteroids visited by spacecraft, none appears likely to be a rubble pile, except perhaps Mathilde. Nevertheless, current understanding of asteroid collisions and size-dependent strength, and the observed distribution of rotation rates versus size, have led to a theoretical consensus that many or most asteroids larger than 1 km should be rubble piles. Is Eros, the best-observed asteroid, highly unusual because it is not a rubble pile? Is Mathilde, if it is a rubble pile, like most asteroids? What would be expected for the small asteroid Itokawa, the MUSES-C sample return target? An asteroid size distribution is synthesized from the Minor Planet Center listing and results of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, an Infrared Space Observatory survey, the Small Main-belt Asteroid Spectroscopic Survey and the Infrared Astronomical Satellite survey. A new picture emerges of asteroid collisional evolution, in which the well-known Dohnanyi result, that the size distribution tends toward a self-similar form with a 2.5-index power law, is overturned because of scale-dependent collision physics. Survival of a basaltic crust on Vesta can be accommodated, together with formation of many exposed metal cores. The lifetimes against destruction are estimated as 3 Gyr at the size of Eros, 10 Gyr at ten times that size, and 40 Gyr at the size of Vesta. Eros as a shattered collisional fragment is not highly unusual. The new picture reveals the new possibility of a transition size in the collisional state, where asteroids below 5 km size would be primarily collisional breakup fragments whereas much larger asteroids are mostly eroded or shattered survivors of collisions. In this case, well-defined families would be found in asteroids larger than about 5 km size, but for smaller asteroids, families may no longer be readily separated from a background population. Moreover, the measured boulder size distribution on Eros is re-interpreted as a sample of impactor size distributions in the asteroid belt. The regolith on Eros may result largely from the last giant impact, and the same may be true of Itokawa, in which case about a meter of regolith would be expected there. Even a small asteroid like Itokawa may be a shattered object with regolith cover.     

Presidential Address: Presented 2000 August 28, Chicago,Illinois, USA The eucrite/Vesta story

Abstract— Many lines of evidence indicate that meteorites are derived from the asteroid belt but, in general, identifying any meteorite class with a particular asteroid has been problematical. One exception is asteroid 4 Vesta, where a strong case can be made that it is the ultimate source of the howardite‐eucrite‐diogenite (HED) family of basaltic achondrites. Visible and near‐infrared reflectance spectra first suggested a connection between Vesta and the basaltic achondrites. Experimental petrology demonstrated that the eucrites (the relatively unaltered and unmixed basaltic achondrites) were the product of approximately a 10% melt. Studies of siderophile element partitioning suggested that this melt was the residue of an asteroidal‐scale magma ocean. Mass balance considerations point to a parent body that had its surface excavated, but remains intact. Modern telescopic spectroscopy has identified kilometer‐scale “Vestoids” between Vesta and the 3:1 orbit‐orbit resonance with Jupiter. Dynamical simulations of impact into Vesta demonstrate the plausibility of ejecting relatively unshocked material at velocities consistent with these astronomical observations. Hubble Space Telescope images show a 460 km diameter impact basin at the south pole of Vesta. It seems that nature has provided multiple free sample return missions to a unique asteroid. Major challenges are to establish the geologic context of the HED meteorites on the surface of Vesta and to connect the remaining meteorites to specific asteroids.     

V-type asteroids in the middle main belt

V-type asteroids are bodies whose surfaces are constituted of basalt. In the Main Asteroid Belt, most of these asteroids are assumed to come from the basaltic crust of Asteroid (4) Vesta. This idea is mainly supported by (i) the fact that almost all the known V-type asteroids are in the same region of the belt as (4) Vesta, i.e., the inner belt (semi-major axis 2.1<a<2.5 AU), (ii) the existence of a dynamical asteroid family associated to (4) Vesta, and (iii) the observational evidence of at least one large craterization event on Vesta's surface. One V-type asteroid that is difficult to fit in this scenario is (1459) Magnya, located in the outer asteroid belt, i.e., too far away from (4) Vesta as to have a real possibility of coming from it. The recent discovery of the first V-type asteroid in the middle belt (2.5<a<2.8 AU), (21238) 1995WV7 [Binzel, R.P., Masi, G., Foglia, S., 2006. Bull. Am. Astron. Soc. 38, 627; Hammergren, M., Gyuk, G., Puckett, A., 2006. ArXiv e-print, astro-ph/0609420], located at ∼2.54 AU, raises the question of whether it came from (4) Vesta or not. In this paper, we present spectroscopic observations indicating the existence of another V-type asteroid at ∼2.53 AU, (40521) 1999RL95, and we investigate the possibility that these two asteroids evolved from the Vesta family to their present orbits by a semi-major axis drift due to the Yarkovsky effect. The main problem with this scenario is that the asteroids need to cross the 3/1 mean motion resonance with Jupiter, which is highly unstable. Combining N-body numerical simulations of the orbital evolution, that include the Yarkovsky effect, with Monte Carlo models, we compute the probability that an asteroid of a given diameter D evolves from the Vesta family and crosses over the 3/1 resonance, reaching a stable orbit in the middle belt. Our results indicate that an asteroid like (21238) 1995WV7 has a low probability (∼1%) of having evolved through this mechanism due to its large size (D∼5 km), because the Yarkovsky effect is not sufficiently efficient for such large asteroids. However, the mechanism might explain the orbits of smaller bodies like (40521) 1999RL95 (D∼3 km) with ∼70-100% probability, provided that we assume that the Vesta family formed ?3.5 Gy ago. We estimate the debiased population of V-type asteroids that might exist in the same region as (21238) and (40521) (2.5<a?2.62 AU) and conclude that about 10 to 30% of the V-type bodies with D>1 km may come from the Vesta family by crossing over the 3/1 resonance. The remaining 70-90% must have a different origin.     

Fugitives from the Vesta family

Spectroscopic observations of Asteroid (4) Vesta and numerous members of the Vesta family located in the inner asteroid belt have determined that these objects have reflectance properties of basaltic material. A plausible hypothesis is that the surface of Vesta was punctured by large impacts in the past which dispersed fragments of its basaltic crust into space and produced one of the most prominent asteroid families ever created in the belt. Until recently, Vesta was the only known object in the asteroid belt which underwent differentiation and survived to the present epoch. Since 2000, many new small basaltic asteroids have been discovered in the inner and outer parts of the asteroid belt, possibly representing fragments from distinct differentiated bodies. These discoveries may help us to better understand the number and nature of objects in the inner Solar System that underwent geological differentiation. To investigate these issues we performed extensive numerical simulations whose aim was to reproduce, as precisely as possible, the dynamical evolution of Vesta's ejected fragments over timescales comparable to the family's age. Specifically, we numerically integrated the orbital evolution of 6600 test bodies with orbits that started within the Vesta family and dynamically evolved over 2 Gy. Our model included gravitational perturbation of all planets (except Mercury) and the Yarkovsky effect. The results show that a relatively large fraction of the original Vesta family members may have evolved out of the family borders defined by clustering algorithms and are now dispersed over the inner asteroid belt. We compared the orbital distribution of our model fragments with the orbital locations of known basaltic asteroids in various parts of the inner main belt to find that: (i) Most basaltic asteroids with semimajor axis located outside the Vesta family's borders in the inner main belt, including (809) Lundia and (956) Elisa, are most likely fugitives from the Vesta family that have evolved to their current orbits via various identified dynamical pathways. Our results also suggest that the Vesta family is at least ∼1 Gy old. (ii) Interestingly, orbits of many basaltic asteroids with , like those of (4796) Lewis and (5379) Abehiroshi, are displaced from the Vesta family to low inclinations and are not obtained in our simulations with sufficient efficiency. We propose that: (i) these small basaltic asteroids may be fragments of differentiated bodies other than (4) Vesta; or (ii) they were liberated from the Vesta's surface before (or during) the Late Heavy Bombardment epoch ∼3.8 Gy ago and their orbital inclinations separated from that of Vesta when secular resonances swept through the region.     

Discovering New V-Type Asteroids in the Vicinity of 4 Vesta

We present results on the identification of two new V-type asteroids, 809 Lundia and 956 Elisa. These asteroids are located in the neighborhood of Asteroid 4 Vesta, but they do not belong to Vesta's dynamical family. Their spectra in the visible wavelength are consistent with the spectra of the Vesta family members (Vestoids) and of other V-type objects in the nearby region too. The possible existence of two spectroscopic groups of V-type asteroids in the Vesta region is discussed.     

High‐calcium pyroxene as an indicator of igneous differentiation in asteroids and meteorites

Abstract— Our analyses of high quality spectra of several S‐type asteroids (17 Thetis, 847 Agnia, 808 Merxia, and members of the Agnia and Merxia families) reveal that they include both low‐ and high‐calcium pyroxene with minor amounts of olivine (<20%). In addition, we find that these asteroids have ratios of high‐calcium pyroxene to total pyroxene of >～0.4. High‐calcium pyroxene is a spectrally detectable and petrologically important indicator of igneous history and may prove critical in future studies aimed at understanding the history of asteroidal bodies. The silicate mineralogy inferred for Thetis and the Merxia and Agnia family members requires that these asteroids experienced igneous differentiation, producing broadly basaltic surface lithologies. Together with 4 Vesta (and its smaller “Vestoid” family members) and the main‐belt asteroid 1489 Magnya, these new asteroids provide strong evidence for igneous differentiation of at least five asteroid parent bodies. Based on this analysis of a small subset of the near‐infrared asteroid spectra taken to date with SpeX at the NASA IRTF, we expect that the number of known differentiated asteroids will increase, consistent with the large number of parent bodies inferred from studies of iron meteorites.     

A plausible link between the asteroid 21 Lutetia and CH carbonaceous chondrites

A crucial topic in planetology research is establishing links between primitive meteorites and their parent asteroids. In this study, we investigate the feasibility of a connection between asteroids similar to 21 Lutetia, encountered by the Rosetta mission in July 2010, and the CH3 carbonaceous chondrite Pecora Escarpment 91467 (PCA 91467). Several spectra of this meteorite were acquired in the ultraviolet to near‐infrared (0.3–2.2 μm) and in the midinfrared to thermal infrared (2.5–30.0 μm or 4000 to ~333 cm⁻¹), and they are compared here to spectra from the asteroid 21 Lutetia. There are several similarities in absorption bands and overall spectral behavior between this CH3 meteorite and 21 Lutetia. Considering also that the bulk density of Lutetia is similar to that of CH chondrites, we suggest that this asteroid could be similar, or related to, the parent body of these meteorites, if not the parent body itself. However, the apparent surface diversity of Lutetia pointed out in previous studies indicates that it could simultaneously be related to other types of chondrites. Future discovery of additional unweathered CH chondrites could provide deeper insight in the possible connection between this family of metal‐rich carbonaceous chondrites and 21 Lutetia or other featureless, possibly hydrated high‐albedo asteroids.     

Grain size of the surface regolith of asteroid 4 Vesta estimated from its reflectance spectrum in comparison with HED meteorites

Abstract— The grain-size distribution of the regolith of asteroid 4 Vesta has been estimated by comparing its reflectance spectra (0.3–2.6 μm) with those of HED meteorites. The finest grain-size separate (<25 μm) of a particular howardite has a reflectance spectrum most similar to Vesta's. In order to better simulate Vesta's surface mineralogy, reflectance spectra of those finest HED meteorite powders were linearly combined, and Vesta's spectrum was scaled for the best fit between them. Both the albedo and the shape of reflectance spectrum of Vesta were well reproduced by regional mixtures of the finest (<25 μm) powders of HED meteorites. The result suggests the heterogeneity of Vesta's surface and provides an estimate of the visible reflectance of Vesta that is close to its IRAS albedo. Thus, this suggests that fine grains can be generated and retained by relatively small bodies (Vesta is approximately 500 km in diameter).     

The distribution of basaltic asteroids in the Main Belt

We present the observational results of a survey designed to target and detect asteroids whose photometric colors are similar to those of Vesta family members and thus may be considered as candidates for having a basaltic composition. Fifty basaltic candidates were selected with orbital elements that lie outside of the Vesta dynamical family. Optical and near-infrared spectra were used to assign a taxonomic type to 11 of the 50 candidates. Ten of these were spectroscopically confirmed as V-type asteroids, suggesting that most of the candidates are basaltic and can be used to constrain the distribution of basaltic material in the Main Belt. Using our catalog of V-type candidates and the success rate of the survey, we calculate unbiased size-frequency and semi-major axis distributions of V-type asteroids. These distributions, in addition to an estimate for the total mass of basaltic material, suggest that Vesta was the predominant contributor to the basaltic asteroid inventory of the Main Belt, however scattered planetesimals from the inner Solar System (a<2.0 AU) and other partially/fully differentiated bodies likely contributed to this inventory. In particular, we infer the presence of basaltic fragments in the vicinity of Asteroid 15 Eunomia, which may be derived from a differentiated parent body in the middle Main Belt (2.5<a<2.8). We find no asteroidal evidence for a large number of previously undiscovered basaltic asteroids, which agrees with previous theories suggesting that basaltic fragments from the ∼100 differentiated parent bodies represented in meteorite collections have been “battered to bits” [Burbine, T.H., Meibom, A., Binzel, R.P., 1996. Meteorit. Planet. Sci. 31, 607-620].     

Asteroids 10 Hygiea, 135 Hertha,and 196 Philomela: Heterogeneity of the material from the reflectance spectra

The reflectance spectra of asteroids 10 Hygiea (C-type), 135 Hertha (M-type), and 196 Philomela (S-type) are obtained in a range of 0.40–0.91 μm with different time intervals. In this paper, the technique of the spectral measurements of asteroids is analyzed and the reflectance spectra of Hygiea, Hertha, and Philomela are interpreted. The main physical and chemical factors and processes influencing the spectral characteristics of asteroids are considered. It is determined that the spectra of Hertha and Hygiea contain variations exceeding the measurement errors several times at different relative rotation phases, whereas spectral variations of Philomela caused by its rotation hardly exceed the error limits. Most probably, these variations are caused by local manifestations of the impact metamorphism of the material of asteroids in serious impact events. Results show that, to determine the prevailing spectral type and the corresponding mineralogy of each asteroid, one should estimate and take into account the changes in its spectral characteristics for a time interval comparable to the rotation period.     

Reliability of estimates for the sizes of spots on asteroid surfaces made by the spectral-frequency method

A new spectral-frequency method (SFM) for the study of solid body surfaces is briefly described. This method allows estimation of the sizes of various spots. Estimates for the sizes of spots on asteroid surfaces made by the SFM and other methods are compared and discussed. The sizes of spots on the surface of asteroid 1620 Geographos determined by the SFM are well consistent with those of the craters obtained from radar data. The sizes of hydrosilicate spots on the surface of asteroid 21 Lutetia found by the SFM agree with those of the craters determined by the Rosetta spacecraft. The size of a blue spot on the surface of asteroid 4 Vesta found by the SFM is consistent with the size of the well-known crater on the south pole of the asteroid. It is inferred that the SFM is a promising method for the estimation of the sizes of spots on asteroid surfaces.     

Illumination conditions at the Asteroid 4 Vesta: Implications for the presence of water ice

The mean illumination conditions and surface temperatures over one orbital period are calculated for the Asteroid 4 Vesta using a coarse digital elevation model produced from Hubble Space Telescope images. Even with the anticipated effects of finer-scale topography taken into account, it is unlikely that any significant permanently shadowed regions currently exist on Vesta due to its large axial tilt (≈27°). However, under present day conditions, it is predicted that about half of Vesta’s surface has an average temperature of less than 145 K, which, based on previous thermal modeling of main belt asteroids, suggests that water ice could survive in the top few meters of the vestal regolith on billion-year timescales.     

Thermal infrared (8-13 μm) spectra of 29 asteroids: the Cornell Mid-Infrared Asteroid Spectroscopy (MIDAS) Survey

We report the results of the Cornell Mid-IR Asteroid Spectroscopy (MIDAS) survey, a program of ground-based observations designed to characterize the 8-13 μm spectral properties of a statistically significant sample of asteroids from a wide variety of visible to near-IR spectral classes. MIDAS is conducted at Palomar Observatory using the Spectrocam-10 (SC-10) spectrograph on the 200-in Hale telescope. We have measured the mid-infrared spectra of twenty-nine asteroids and have derived temperature estimates from our data that are largely consistent with the predictions of the standard thermal model. We have also generated relative emissivity spectra for the target asteroids. On only one asteroid, 1 Ceres, have we found emissivity features with spectral contrast greater than 5%. Our spectrum of 4 Vesta suggests emissivity variation at the 2-3% level. Published spectra of several of the small number of asteroids observed with ISO (six of which are also included in our survey), which appeared to exhibit much stronger emissivity features, are difficult to reconcile with our measurements. Laboratory work on mineral and meteorite samples has shown that the contrast of mid-IR spectral features is greatly reduced at fine grain sizes. Moreover, the NEAR mission found that 433 Eros is covered by a relatively thick fine-grained regolith. If small bodies in general possess such regoliths, their mid-IR spectral features may be quite subtle. This may explain the evident absence of strong emissivity variation in the majority of the MIDAS spectra.     

Analysis of faint absorption bands in the reflectance spectra of A-type asteroids

Faint absorption bands detected in the visible range of the reflectance spectra of A-type asteroids suggest a various mineralogical composition of their surface. From the analysis of these bands, we conclude that, on some asteroids of this optical type, both olivine and pyroxene are present, while mostly clinopyroxene with minor admixtures of Cr-containing minerals, presumably chromites, is on the surface of others. A new estimate of the forsterite content in the olivine of the asteroids 289 Nenetta and 446 Aeternitas (Fo ～ 50–60%) made by the absorption band near 500 nm in their spectra agrees with the estimate we obtained previously from the modeling of the reflectance spectra of the asteroid Aeternitas.