Trojan asteroid spectroscopy and space weathering
Author(s)
Russell, April A. (April Anne), 1981-
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences.
Advisor
Richard P. Binzel.
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Trojan asteroids orbit the Sun at Jupiter's L4 and L5 stability points. They are included in the D-class group of asteroids because of their characteristically steep spectral slope. In accordance with spectra of other asteroid classes, we expected that the larger the diameter is of a D-class asteroid, the redder (visually) the asteroid should be in the visible spectrum. Approximately ninety Trojan asteroids have been examined, fourteen of which come from our own observations, and five of which are small and come from the SMASS I data set. The results did not confirm our original hypothesis. Instead, space weathering appears to affect Trojans in a different way than it does other asteroid classes due to their different composition.
Description
Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, 2004. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 48-49).
Date issued
2004Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary SciencesPublisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Keywords
Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences.