Near-Earth Asteroids: Possible Sources from Reflectance Spectroscopy

Abstract

Spectra of near-Earth asteroids were compared to spectra of selected asteroids, planets, and satellites to determine possible source regions. The diversity of reflectance spectra of the near-Earth asteroids implies different mineralogical compositions and hence more than one source region. The presence of near-Earth asteroid spectral signatures similar to those of certain main-belt asteroids supports models that derive some of these asteroids from the 5:2 Kirkwood gap and the Flora family by gravitational perturbations. Planetary and satellite surfaces are different in composition than the near-Earth asteroids, which is in agreement with theoretical arguments that such bodies should not be sources. Some near-Earth asteroids supply portions of Earth's meteorite flux, but other sources must also contribute.