Physics – Optics
Scientific paper
Dec 2009
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009agufm.p11c1236r&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2009, abstract #P11C-1236
Physics
Optics
[6205] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Asteroids
Scientific paper
Binary asteroid systems consist of two small planetary bodies orbiting a common center of mass. To date, approximately 65 systems have been imaged using adaptive optics, Hubble Space Telescope observations, and various radar imaging methods. An additional 100 binaries are suspected to exist based on light curve analysis and new discoveries are being announced every month. One important task involved in the study of these systems is the classification of their surface mineralogy. The compositional characterization of asteroid surfaces requires observations across a wide wavelength range. A number of rigorous classification methods have been used to group asteroids into classes based on their observed characteristics. Most recently, a feature-based taxonomy was developed by Bus and Binzel [Bus S. J. and Binzel R. P. (2002) Icarus 158, 146-177]. Bus and Binzel decomposed the visible-wavelength (0.44 - 0.92 μm) spectra of asteroids into three major groups—complexes C-, S-, and X-. Each complex was then further refined into 26 sub-classes associated with distinct mineralogical surface features. Using the Shane 3-meter telescope at Lick Observatory, we observed twelve binary asteroid systems with the KAST double spectrograph. The primary observations were conducted on three nights between May and July of 2009 as a part of an observation program to complete the Virtual Observatory Binary Asteroids Database (VOBAD). The spectrograph at the Shane telescope provides wavelength coverage between 0.3 and 1.0 μm using both blue (0.3-0.57 μm) and red (0.53-1.0 μm) channels, with each spectrograph optimized for its wavelength range. Using this instrument, we obtained a comprehensive measurement of our targets' visible spectra, exceeding the wavelength range over which Bus and Binzel taxonomy is based. We obtained visible-wavelength (0.3 - 1.0 μm) spectra for twelve binary asteroid systems, including six objects not previously classified using Bus and Binzel taxonomic methods. We identified four new S-complex binaries—6406 1992 MJ, 6708 Bobbievaile, 3626 Chaplin, and 6244 Okamoto. Additionally, two X-complex binaries, 26471 2000 AS152 and 9069 Hovland, were identified. More detailed analysis is underway to isolate the specific taxonomic class of each object.
Emery Joshua P.
Marchis Franck
Reiss A. E.
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