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Goals
been modified chemically and
of the original “stuff” of the
solar system?
Little gravity, little to no atmosphere.
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Orbits
Elliptical orbits that pass Earth
Earth-crossing asteroids:
Three larger than 500 km
About a dozen larger than 250 km
Number increases rapidly with decreasing size
Total volume of all asteroids ~ much smaller than moon.
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Visible light: what light a body reflects.
IR light: what a body emits because of its temperature = what light it absorbs.
Albedo = function of vis/(vis + IR)
Size = function of (vis/albedo)*distance
Assume all asteroids have same albedo and at same distance: Size ~ vis
Allow different distances: Size ~ vis*distance
Allow different albedo: Size ~ (vis/albedo)
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Concept Test
Suppose you discover two asteroids that are equally bright in the visible but IR observations tell you Asteroid#1 is more reflective than Asteroid#2. What can you conclude?
Asteroid#1 is larger than Asteroid#2.
Asteroid#1 has a lower albedo than Asteroid#2.
Asteroid#1 is farther away than Asteroid#2.
Asteroid#1 is warmer than Asteroid#2.
None of the above.
Gravity tries to make things spherical (hydrostatic equilibrium).
Largest (Ceres) is 940 km in diameter - spherical
Three larger than 500 km (Vesta) – mostly spheroidal
Smaller than 250 km - irregular
Gravity Total mass of all asteroids ~ 5%
of the moon
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Shapes
Two orbiters:
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Eros
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Eros Landing
NEAR Shoemaker took this image of asteroid 433 Eros from a range of 1,150 meters (3,773 feet). The image is 54 meters (177 feet) across. The large rock at lower left is 7.4 meters (24 feet) across.
NEAR Shoemaker's image of asteroid 433 Eros taken from a range of 700 meters (2,300 feet). The image is 33 meters (108 feet) across. The large, oblong rock casting a big shadow measures 4.3 meters (14 feet) across.
NEAR Shoemaker's image of asteroid 433 Eros taken from a range of 250 meters (820 feet). The image is 12 meters (39 feet) across. The cluster of rocks at the upper right measures 1.4 meters (5 feet) across.
This is the last image of asteroid 433 Eros received from NEAR Shoemaker. Taken from a range of 120 meters (394 feet), it measures 6 meters (20 feet) across. What we can see of the rock at the top of image measures 4 meters (12 feet) across. The streaky lines at the bottom indicate loss of signal as the spacecraft touched down on the asteroid during transmission of this image.
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Mathilde
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Eros
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Itokawa
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Composition
Asteroids are classified into a number of types according to their spectra (and hence their chemical composition) and albedo :
C-type, includes more than 75% of known asteroids:
extremely dark (albedo 0.03)
approximately the same chemical composition as the Sun minus hydrogen, helium and other volatiles
S-type, 17%
M-type, most of the rest
bright (albedo .10-.18)
There are also a dozen or so other rare types
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Masses
Solid vs. rubble pile.
Concept Test
I discover an asteroid all by itself. Without sending a spacecraft there, what can I determine about the asteroid?
Albedo, size, distance, mass, density, composition.
Albedo, size, distance, mass, density.
Albedo, size, distance, mass.
Hayabusa sample return – one asteroid.
Meteorites potentially many asteroids.
Really piece of asteroids?
Meteor – the fiery streak through the sky.
Meteorite – the rock on the ground.
Types (2 main)
Processed – rocky or metallic (from differentiated asteroid or “parent body”).
Compare spectra to find parent body:
Asteroid (e.g. Vesta)
Martin Beech et al. (Univ of Western Ontario) 1995
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Concept Test
When you see the bright flash of a meteor, what are you actually seeing?
Emission of visible light from a particle that has not yet entered Earth's atmosphere.
The flash that occurs when a speeding rock from space hits the ground.
A star that has suddenly shot across the sky.
The glow from a pea-size particle and the surrounding air as the particle burns up in our atmosphere.
None of the above.
Concept Test
I find a meteorite that is composed entirely of rock (no metal). Assuming it’s from an asteroid, what type of parent body is it probably from?
A very small asteroid.
A part of the core of a very large asteroid.
A part of the outer layers of a very large asteroid.
From the heart of a differentiated asteroid.
It is not possible to tell.
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