Grain Size Effects on UV-MIR Spectra of Aubrites: Clues for Interpreting E-type Near-Earth Asteroids
Abstract
Abstract The Vera C. Rubin Observatory and the future NEO Surveyor infrared space telescope are expected to dramatically increase the number of near-Earth object discoveries. Among these new objects, we expect small (0.40). Despite this detectability, E-types remain among the rarest near-Earth asteroids (NEAs), with few published spectra to constrain their composition or firmly link them to their assumed meteorite analogs, the aubrites. This linkage is further complicated by noncompositional effects such as grain size, especially given growing evidence that small NEAs are regolith-free unlike their larger main belt counterparts. To better characterize this effect, we conducted a spectral study of eight aubrite meteorites from the ultraviolet-to-mid-infrared range (0.18–14.5 μ m; UV–VNIR–MIR) wavelengths, examining multiple grain sizes from
Fields of Study & Subjects
Astro and Planetary Science
Planetary Science and Exploration
Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
Publication details
- Journal / source
- The Planetary Science Journal
- Publisher
- American Astronomical Society
- Volume
- 7
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 151–151
- Publication date
- 1 June 2026
- Language
- EN