Mathematics
Scientific paper
Jun 1998
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1998ppmto..17...42b&link_type=abstract
Publ. Purple Mt. Obs., Vol. 17, No. 2, p. 42 - 48
Mathematics
Minor Planets: Space Missions, Minor Planets: Figures, Minor Planets: Surface Structure, Minor Planets: Masses, Minor Planets: Albedo, Minor Planets: Rotation
Scientific paper
On June 27, 1997, the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft flew within 1200 km of the main belt asteroid 253 Mathilde. Previous observations of Mathilde had revealed it to be a C-type asteroid with an astonishingly-long rotation period of 17.4 days, an albedo of 3.8%, and a mean diameter of 60 km. Observations by NEAR reveal that Mathilde has a roughly triaxial shape of 66×46 km diameter and a mass of 1.02×1020g, implying a mean density of only 1.3 g/cm3. The surface of Mathilde was observed to be saturated with large impact craters, showing a range of visible topography in excess of 5 km. Multispectral observations did not reveal substantial color differences across the surface, and coverage at multiple phase angles was used to derive a preliminary albedo of 3.5% to 5%. The low observed density, lack of color variations, and low albedo all suggest that Mathilde may be a primitive, carbon-rich object with an interior that contains substantial pore space.
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