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Searching for color variation on fast rotating asteroids with simultaneous V-J observations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 March 2016

David Polishook  and
Nicholas Moskovitz
David Polishook
Affiliation:
Weizmann Institute of Science, Rhovot 7610001, Israel email: david.polishook@weizmann.ac.il
Nicholas Moskovitz
Affiliation:
Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff 86001, AZ, USA email: nmosko@lowell.edu
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Abstract

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Boulders, rocks and regolith on fast rotating asteroids (<2.5 hours) are modeled to slide towards the equator due to a strong centrifugal force and a low cohesion force. As a result, regions of fresh subsurface material can be exposed. Therefore, we searched for color variation on small and fast rotating asteroids. We describe a novel technique in which the asteroid is simultaneously observed in the visible and near-IR wavelength range. In this technique, brightness changes due to atmospheric extinction effects can be calibrated across the visible and near-IR images. We use V- and J-band filters since the distinction in color between weathered and unweathered surfaces on ordinary chondrite-like bodies is most prominent at these wavelengths and can reach ~25%. To test our method, we observed 3 asteroids with Cerro Tololo's 1.3 m telescope. We find ~5% variation of the mean V-J color, but do not find any clearly repeating color signature through multiple rotations. This suggests that no landslides occurred within the timescale of space weathering, or that Landslides occurred but the exposed patches are too small for the measurements' uncertainty.

Keywords

minor planetsasteroidsinfrared: solar system
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 10 , Issue S318: Asteroids: New Observations, New Models , August 2015 , pp. 193 - 200
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2016 

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