Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Near-Infrared Observations Of Comet-Asteroid Transition Objects, Julie Elaine Ziffer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary objective of this research is to characterize the surface composition of five comet-asteroid transition objects via near-infrared spectroscopy. The five targets include two asteroids with Tisserand invariants lower than 3.0 (1373 Cincinnati and 2906 Caltech), one asteroid that is likely an extinct comet (944 Hidalgo), one intermittent activity comet (162P/Siding Spring), and one nearly dormant comet (28P/Neujmin1). Previous research regarding cometary end states and dynamical and physical properties of comets and asteroids provides the foundation for this work. Focusing primarily on the 1-2.5 µm spectral region of the five target objects, this project specifically searches for mineral species …