Unusual polarimetric properties of (101955) Bennu: similarities with F-class asteroids and cometary bodies
Date Issued
2018
Author(s)
Abstract
We have obtained polarimetric measurements of asteroid (101955) Bennu, a presumably primitive near-Earth object (NEO) that is the target of NASA's sample return mission OSIRIS-REx. During our observing campaign, Bennu was visible from Earth under a wide range of illumination conditions, with phase angle in the range 16°-57°. Together with (3200) Phaethon and (152679) 1998 KU2, observed very recently, Bennu is the only existing example of a primitive NEO observed in polarimetric mode over a wide interval of phase angles. Based on our polarimetric data, we propose that Bennu belongs to the unusual F taxonomic class defined in the 80s. According to previous works, the F-class includes objects with cometary features. This fact can be of great importance for the interpretation of the results of the exploration of this object by OSIRIS-REx. From polarimetry we also derive an estimate of the geometric albedo of Bennu: pR = 0.059 ± 0.003.
Volume
481
Issue
1
Start page
L49
Issn Identifier
1745-3925
Ads BibCode
2018MNRAS.481L..49C
Rights
open.access
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