Discovery of M class objects among the near-earth asteroid population

Details Discovery of M class objects among the near-earth asteroid population Discovery of M class objects among the near-earth asteroid population

Mar 1987

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1987aj.....93..738t&link_type=abstract

Astronomical Journal (ISSN 0004-6256), vol. 93, March 1987, p. 738-746. NASA-supported research.

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

27

Amor Asteroid, Apollo Asteroids, Earth (Planet), Colorimetry, Infrared Photometry, Iron, Iron Meteorites, Nickel, Radiometers, Resonance, Asteroids, M Asteriods, Astronomy, Colorimetry, Photometry, Infrared, Wavelengths, Visible Light, Radiometry, 1986Da, 1986Eb, Albedo, Origin, Optical Properties, Classification, Earth-Crossers, Comparisons, Source, Mineralogy, Composition, Parent Bodies, Earth-Based Observations, Size, Telescope Methods, Absolute Magnitude, Diameter, Catalog, Aten Asteroids, Apollo Astero

Scientific paper

The Earth-approaching asteroids 1986 DA and 1986 EB are found to belong to the M class of asteroids. These are the first of this class to be identified among the Aten, Apollo, and Amor populations. The inferred composition of the M class asteroids is primary metallic iron. If this is indeed the case, then current models for meteorite production based on strength-related collisional processes on asteroidal surfaces predict that these two objects alone should produce about 1% of all meteorite falls. The relative abundances of classes C, S, M, and "other" among the near-Earth asteroid population are remarkably similar to those found in the inner asteroid belt between the 3:1 and 5:2 resonances, i.e., between 2.50 and 2.82 AU. This dominating presence of the three major asteroid taxonomic classes among the Earth-approaching population argues strongly in favor of an asteroidal source for most such objects. This conclusion leads to the suggestion that "extinct" comet nuclei, if of a composition other than that found in the asteroid belt, are rare, if they exist at all.

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