Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Family Of (6) Hebe, Sherry Fieber-Beyer, Michael J. Gaffey

Space Studies Faculty Publications

The fundamental science question we address in this research concerns the evolution of asteroid families; more specifically, does asteroid (6) Hebe have a genetic family, and does this genetic family provide insight into the structure of (6) Hebe? Hebe has been identified dynamically and spectroscopically as the H-chondrite parent body. The H chondrites exhibit a range of metamorphisms suggesting deep excavation from the parent body, an event expected to form a family. Previously, several small H-type asteroids were identified near Hebe, supporting this possibility, but they were insufficient to test its existence. We initiated a limited spectroscopic investigation of 36 …

Asteroid (354) Eleonora: Plucking An Odd Duck, Michael J. Gaffey, Vishnu Reddy, Sherry Fieber-Beyer, Edward Cloutis

Space Studies Faculty Publications

During a survey of the S-type asteroids, Gaffey et al. (Gaffey, M.J., Bell, J.F., Brown, R.H., Burbine, T.H., Piatek, J., Reed, K.L., Chaky, D.A. [1993]. Icarus 106, 573–602) identified Asteroid (354) Eleonora as anomalous with a 1 μm absorption feature ∼2.5 times stronger than any S-asteroid of comparable size. Subsequent investigation revealed significant differences in the 1 μm absorption feature between the visible & very near-infrared CCD spectra (λ < ∼1.0 μm) and other spectral data sets for this asteroid. There were also significant spectral differences among the several CCD survey spectra (SMASS-I, SMASS-II & S3OS2) of Eleonora. These differences could potentially arise from spectral variations across the asteroid surface, from observational phase angle differences, from surface temperature differences, from viewing geometry for a nonspherical body, or from the use of standard stars with deviated to different degrees from a true solar standard.

In June 2011 Asteroid (354) Eleonora was observed over two nights using the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) at Mauna Kea Observatory in order to test these possible scenarios and …

Is The Gefion Dynamical Asteroid Family The Source Of The L-Chondrites?, R. V. Roberts, Michael J. Gaffey, Sherry Fieber-Beyer

Space Studies Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.