Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Oct 2007
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007dps....39.1305r&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #39, #13.05; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 39, p.433
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
Near-infrared spectroscopic observations of potentially-hazardous asteroid (PHA) 2006 WH1 were obtained remotely on December 22, 2006 UT, using the SpeX instrument at NASA IRTF on Mauna Kea, Hawai'i. Near-IR spectrum of 2006 WH1 displays a deep band I feature (band depth 25%) and a weaker band II (band depth 10%) suggesting the presence of the mineral pyroxene in the surface assemblage. The estimated band I and II centers are 0.96±0.005 µm and 2.00±0.01 µm respectively, with a BAR of 0.6±0.1. Weak inflection at 1.30-µm could be due to olivine, plagioclase feldspar or high-Fe pyroxene. 2006 WH1 plots above the pyroxene trend line on the band-band plot (Adams, 1974, Cloutis & Gaffey, 1991) indicating the presence of olivine along with pyroxene. Upon applying the band I displacement correction of 0.032 µm for olivine (Gaffey et al., 2002), the object's band I drops on to the pyroxene trend line strengthening the case of the presence of olivine. Using methods developed by Cloutis et al., (1986), the estimated amount of pyroxene in a pyroxene + olivine mixture is 0.30±0.05%. The estimated pyroxene chemistry suggests either a eucrite-like pyroxene or the presence of three pyroxenes (low Fe, Ca orthopyroxene; low Fe augite and Eucrite-like pigeonite). Such chemistry supports the presence of a possible non-chondritic surface assemblage on 2006 WH1, while not excluding the remote plausibility of an LL-chondrite-type assemblage. The authors would like to thank NASA IRTF for providing Target of Opportunity observing time for observing 2006 WH1 flyby. This research was supported by NASA Near-Earth Objects Observations Program grant NNG04GI17G and GSA PGD Eugene M. Shoemaker Impact Cratering Award.
Binzel Richard P.
Gaffey Michael J.
Hardersen Paul Scott
Kumar Sanjeev
Reddy Vishnu
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