(16) Psyche: A mesosiderite-like asteroid?

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216208%3A11320%2F18%3A10385767" target="_blank" >RIV/00216208:11320/18:10385767 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201834091" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201834091</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201834091" target="_blank" >10.1051/0004-6361/201834091</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

(16) Psyche: A mesosiderite-like asteroid?

Original language description

Context. Asteroid (16) Psyche is the target of the NASA Psyche mission. It is considered one of the few main-belt bodies that could be an exposed proto-planetary metallic core and that would thus be related to iron meteorites. Such an association is however challenged by both its near- and mid-infrared spectral properties and the reported estimates of its density. Aims. Here, we aim to refine the density of (16) Psyche to set further constraints on its bulk composition and determine its potential meteoritic analog. Methods. We observed (16) Psyche with ESO VLT/SPHERE/ZIMPOL as part of our large program (ID 199.C-0074). We used the high angular resolution of these observations to refine Psyche&apos;s three-dimensional (3D) shape model and subsequently its density when combined with the most recent mass estimates. In addition, we searched for potential companions around the asteroid. Results. We derived a bulk density of 3.99 +/- 0.26 g cm(-3) for Psyche. While such density is incompatible at the 3-sigma level with any iron meteorites (similar to 7.8 g cm(-3)), it appears fully consistent with that of stony-iron meteorites such as mesosiderites (density similar to 4.25 g cm(-3)). In addition, we found no satellite in our images and set an upper limit on the diameter of any non-detected satellite of 1460 +/- 200 m at 150 km from Psyche (0.2% x R-Hill, the Hill radius) and 800 +/- 200 m at 2000 km (3% x R-Hill). Conclusions. Considering that the visible and near-infrared spectral properties of mesosiderites are similar to those of Psyche, there is merit to a long-published initial hypothesis that Psyche could be a plausible candidate parent body for mesosiderites.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

10308 - Astronomy (including astrophysics,space science)

Project

<a href="/en/project/GA18-09470S" target="_blank" >GA18-09470S: Shape models of large asteroids based on VLT/SPHERE data</a><br>

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Publication year

2018

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Astronomy &amp; Astrophysics [online]

ISSN

1432-0746

e-ISSN

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Volume of the periodical

619

Issue of the periodical within the volume

Neuveden

Country of publishing house

FR - FRANCE

Number of pages

10

Pages from-to

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UT code for WoS article

000449725500001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85056511149