Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-12T12:30:07.615Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

What we know about Families of Asteroids

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 August 2015

V. Zappala’
V. Zappala’*
Affiliation:
Astronomical Observatory of Torino, 1-10025 Pino Torinese, Italy

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Asteroid families are considered for the most to represent fragments of collisional breakup of precursor bodies. If true, this offers the unique possibility to examine the interiors of large bodies and to study the processes of collision on a scale much larger than can be done in laboratory. Indeed, the general features of the mass distributions and of the ejection velocities of the family members can be interpreted in terms of collisional disruption of a parent body followed by self-gravitational reaccumulation on the largest remnant. However, several problems remain open: a) the degree of fragmentation in real families is generally lower than that observed for experimental targets; b) the relative velocities computed including also proper eccentricity and inclination differences are higher by about a factor 4 than those derived from semiaxes differences only; c) only very few of the presently proposed families have distributions of inferred mineralogies consistent with cosmochemistry. Further studies are needed, including better proper elements computation, classification methods, and new investigations on the physics of hypervelocity impacts.

Type
Joint Discussions
Information
Highlights of Astronomy , Volume 8: Highlights of Astronomy. As presented at the XXth General Assembly of the IAU, 1988 , 1989 , pp. 273 - 279
Copyright
Copyright © Kluwer 1989

References

Bell, J.F.(1988), submitted to IcarusGoogle Scholar
Bowell, E., Gehrels, T. and Zellner., B.(1979) ‘Magnitudes, colors, types and adopted diameters of the asteroids’, in Gehrels, T. (ed.), Asteroids, University of Arizona Press, Tucson, pp. 1108–1129.Google Scholar
Brouwer., D. and Clemence, G.M. (1961) Methods of Celestial Mechanics, Academic Press, New York/London.Google Scholar
Carpino, M., Farinella, P., Gonczi, R., Froeschle’, Ch., Froeschle’, C.,Paolicchi, P. and Zappala’, V. (1986) ‘The accuracy of proper orbital elements and the properties of asteroid families: Comparison with the linear theory’, Icarus 68, 44–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carusi, A. and Valsecchi., G. (1982) ‘On asteroid classification in families’, Astron.Astrophys. 115, 327–335.Google Scholar
Chapman, C.R. (1987) ‘Distributions of asteroids compositional types with solar distance, body diameter, and family membership’(abstract), Meteoritics 22, 353–354.Google Scholar
Chapman, C.R., Paolicchi., P., Zappala’, V., Binzel, R. and Bell, J.F. (1988) ‘Asteroid Families: Physical Properties and Evolution’, submitted to Binzel, R.P. Gehrels, T. and Matthews, M. (eds.), Asteroids II, University of Arizona Press, Tucson.Google Scholar
Davis, D. R., Chapman, C. R., Weidenschilling, S. J. and Greenberg, R.(1985) ‘Collisional history of asteroids : Evidences from Vesta and the Hirayama families’, Icarus 62, 30–53.Google Scholar
Dohnanyi, J.W. (1971) ‘Fragmentation and distribution of asteroids’, in Gehrels, T. (ed.), Physical Studies of Minor Planets, NASA-SP 267, Washington, pp.263–295.Google Scholar
Farinella, P., Paolicchi, P. and Zappala’, V. (1982) ‘The asteroids as outcomes of catastrophic collisions’, Icarus 52, 409–433.Google Scholar
Farineila, P., Milani, A., Nobili, A., Paolicchi, P. and Zappala’, V. (1983) ‘Hyperion: Collisional disruption of a resonant satellite’, Icarus 54, 353–360.Google Scholar
Fujiwara, A. (1982) ‘ Complete fragmentation of the parent bodies of Themis, Eos and Koronis families’, Icarus 52, 434–443.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fujiwara, A. (1986) ‘Results obtained by laboratory simulations of catastrophic impact’, in Davis, D.R., Farinella, P., Paolicchi, P. and Zappala’, V. (eds.), Catastrophic Disruption of Asteroids and Satellites, Mem. S. A. It., Firenze, pp. 47–64.Google Scholar
Fujiwara, A. and Tsukamoto, A. (1980) ‘Experimental study of the velocity of fragments in collisional breakup’, Icarus 44, 142–153.Google Scholar
Gradie, J.C., Chapman, C.R. and Williams, J.G. (1979) ‘Families of minor planets’, in Gehrels, T. (ed.), Asteroids, University of Arizona Press, Tucson, pp.359–390.Google Scholar
Ip, W.H. (1979) ‘On three types of fragmentation processes observed in the asteroid belt’, Icarus 40, 418–422.Google Scholar
Kresak, L. (1977) ‘Mass content and mass distribution of the asteroid system’, Bull.Astron.Inst.Czech. 28, 65–82.Google Scholar
Williams, J.G.(1971) ‘Proper elements, families, and belt boundaries’, in Gehrels, T.(ed.), Physical Studies of Minor Planets, NASA-SP, Washington, pp. 177–181.Google Scholar
Williams, J.G. (1979) ‘Proper elements and families memberships of the asteroids’, in Gehrels, T. (ed.), Asteroids, University of Arizona Press.Tucson, pp.1040–1063.Google Scholar
Zappala’, V., Farinella, P., Knezevic, Z. and Paolicchi, P. (1984) ‘Collisional Origin of the Asteroid Families: Mass and Velocity Distributions’, Icarus 59, 261–285.Google Scholar