New Views of 2 Pallas From the Hubble Space Telescope

Details New Views of 2 Pallas From the Hubble Space Telescope New Views of 2 Pallas From the Hubble Space Telescope

Dec 2007

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007agufm.p14c..02s&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2007, abstract #P14C-02

Physics

6205 Asteroids

Scientific paper

Asteroids are remnants of the earliest epoch of our solar system, and as such can provide constraints on the conditions that gave rise to the formation of planets. The largest asteroids represent objects that grew massive enough to undergo varying degrees of differentiation, but their growth was likely cut short by the gravity of Jupiter. However, Ceres, Vesta and Pallas are evolved, dynamic bodies. Ceres and Vesta are the targets of the Dawn Mission and have been extensively studied by ground based telescopes and HST. But there are many open questions regarding Pallas that warrant investigation. As Pallas is presently out of reach of the Dawn Spacecraft, we turn to the Hubble Space Telescope to study the asteroid. Pallas is a B-type asteroid with inclination of 31 degrees and a triaxial shape of 570 x 525 x 482 km. There is spectral evidence that Pallas, like Ceres, has been substantially altered by water. Pallas is at a similar distance from the Sun as Ceres, but is similar in mass to Vesta. Studying Pallas individually and in comparison with Ceres and Vesta may provide information about how a forming planet's size and location affect its composition and thermal history. Planned September observations of Pallas with Hubble's WFPC2 in five filters from 336 to 814 nm are discussed. These occur during Pallas' opposition with full rotational coverage and include a satellite search. This is the first major HST observing campaign ever planned for Pallas. In addition, during August and September, a ground-based campaign took place at three locations to support the HST observations. We present first results from our comprehensive survey of Pallas, and predictions for future analysis.

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