Hints on the Puzzling 21 Lutetia Nature from OSIRIS Rosetta Data

Details Hints on the Puzzling 21 Lutetia Nature from OSIRIS Rosetta Data Hints on the Puzzling 21 Lutetia Nature from OSIRIS Rosetta Data

Oct 2010

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010dps....42.4301b&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #42, #43.01; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 42, p.1043

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From the ground based observations, 21 Lutetia appeared to be a puzzling asteroid different from all the other asteroids. Its nature was uncertain because of contradictory observations, either favoring an M type or a C type asteroid. From polarimetry (Belskaya et al. 2010, AA, 515, 29), Lutetia appeared an atypical object with a surface covered by a fine-grained regolith.
From the amazing images received by OSIRIS imaging system (Keller et al. 2007 SSRev. 128, 433), on board of ESA Rosetta spacecraft, Lutetia reveals a complex and morphologically diverse surface.
Lutetia seems to be a very old object with an irregular shape which is the result of its collisional history. Some smooth younger areas have been also observed. The asteroid lifelong bombardment produced several big craters (tens of kilometers), and many different generations of smaller craters. An apparently thick regolith layer probably covers most of the surface of the asteroid and its presence is revealed by the unique land slide structures along the walls of some craters, most likely generated by impact-induced seismic activity. The presence inside some big craters of sparse boulders, apparently dark, indicates a complex impact mechanism. Moreover images display a great richness of different structures: pits, craters chains, ridges, scarps and wide younger terrains. More details will be available at the time of the presentation. An overview of the obtained results will be presented.
The first analysis of the data shows the extreme diversity of Lutetia which does not resemble any other space explored asteroid. The variety of shapes, morphologies, structures, histories provides us with an invaluable patrimony of information.

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