Publication Date:
2019-06-27
Description:
Spectral reflectance measurements of asteroid 4 Vesta were obtained using a silicon vidicon spectrometer with a resolution of 2 to 4 thousandths of a micron. A flow chart illustrating the data reduction procedure is given, and the location, absorptivity, and bandwidth of an absorption band detected in the near infrared region are described. The absorption band has been interpreted as due to electronic absorptions in ferrous iron in sixfold coordination in the pyroxene, pigeonite. The heightened spectral resolution obtained from the silicon vidicon imaging system permits determination of the relative calcium content of the pyroxene (10 to 12%). Furthermore, the symmetry of the absorption band implies an absence of olivine, which is commonly associated with pyroxene in terrestrial and meteoritic mineral samples. Support for these conclusions is found in spectral analyses of pyroxene, as well as in spectral reflectance measurements of 4 Vesta obtained by other observers.
Keywords:
ASTROPHYSICS
Type:
Icarus; 31; Aug. 197
Format:
text
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