Basaltic asteroids in the Near-Earth Objects population: A mineralogical analysis

Abstract

Aims. We present reflectance spectra of three V-type Near-Earth Objects obtained at the 3.6 m Telescopio Nazionale Galileo and at the 2.5 m Nordic Optical Telescope covering the near-infrared and visible range, respectively. The range from 0.5 to 2.5 μm, encompassing the 1 and 2 μm pyroxene features, allows a mineralogical characterization of these asteroids. Methods. A preliminary analysis using the classical methods has been applied to establish some constraints on the surface mineralogy of these objects. Then, the Modified Gaussian Method was applied to gain further insight on the possible mineral components present in the surface of the objects. Results. The comparison between these basaltic asteroids in near Earth orbits and the achondrite basaltic meteorites shows a quite clear mineralogical link, corroborating the long-standing hypothesis of the Near-Earth Objects population as the immediate source of these meteorites. © ESO 2006.