DETECTION OF ROTATIONAL SPECTRAL VARIATION ON THE M-TYPE ASTEROID (16) PSYCHE
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Author
Sanchez, Juan A.Reddy, V.

Shepard, Michael K.
Thomas, Cristina
Cloutis, E. A.

Takir, Driss
Conrad, Albert

Kiddell, Cain
Applin, Daniel
Affiliation
Univ Arizona, LBT ObservUniv Arizona, Lunar & Planetary Lab
Issue Date
2016-12-28
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IOP PUBLISHING LTDCitation
DETECTION OF ROTATIONAL SPECTRAL VARIATION ON THE M-TYPE ASTEROID (16) PSYCHE 2016, 153 (1):29 The Astronomical JournalJournal
The Astronomical JournalRights
© 2016. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.Collection Information
This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at repository@u.library.arizona.edu.Abstract
The asteroid (16) Psyche is of scientific interest because it contains similar to 1% of the total mass of the asteroid belt and is thought to be the remnant metallic core of a protoplanet. Radar observations have indicated the significant presence of metal on the surface with a small percentage of silicates. Prior ground-based observations showed rotational variations in the near-infrared (NIR) spectra and radar albedo of this asteroid. However, no comprehensive study that combines multi-wavelength data has been conducted so far. Here we present rotationally resolved NIR spectra (0.7-2.5 mu m) of (16) Psyche obtained with the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility. These data have been combined with shape models of the asteroid for each rotation phase. Spectral band parameters extracted from the NIR spectra show that the pyroxene band center varies from similar to 0.92 to 0.94 mu m. Band center values were used to calculate the pyroxene chemistry of the asteroid, whose average value was found to be Fs(30)En(65)Wo(5). Variations in the band depth (BD) were also observed, with values ranging from 1.0% to 1.5%. Using a new laboratory spectral calibration method, we estimated an average orthopyroxene content of 6% +/- 1%. The mass-deficit region of Psyche, which exhibits the highest radar albedo, also shows the highest value for the spectral slope and the minimum BD. The spectral characteristics of Psyche suggest that its parent body did not have the typical structure expected for a differentiated body or that the sequence of events that led to its current state was more complex than previously thought.ISSN
1538-3881Version
Final published versionSponsors
NASA [NNX13AP27G, NNX12AG12G, NNX11AN84G]; IRTF TAC; National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NNX12AF24G, NNX13AQ46G]; Canada Foundation for Innovation; Manitoba Research Innovations Fund; Canadian Space Agency; Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; University of WinnipegAdditional Links
http://stacks.iop.org/1538-3881/153/i=1/a=29?key=crossref.26de63d3d798b379b85ded354bf80521ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.3847/1538-3881/153/1/29