A group of senior researchers Tomoko Arai of the Planetary Exploration Research Center of Chiba Institute of Technology participated in a joint team of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan and Hokkaido University, and gained new insights into the material state of the surface layer of the asteroid Phaeton, the parent body of the Gemini meteor shower. Got
"Phaethon", also known as (3200) Phaethon, is an asteroid with a unique orbit similar to a comet.It is said to be a celestial body that supplied the dust that is the source of the Gemini meteor shower, and may approach the Earth.It is also known as an "active asteroid" with comet-like properties, such as releasing some matter when approaching the Sun.Since Phaeton has a comet-like asteroid-like property, the surface state of its celestial body has many mysteries and has become an object of interest.
This time, the research group conducted polarization observation of Phaeton with a ground-based telescope in Nayoro City, Hokkaido.As a result, it was found that the surface of Phaeton has a very characteristic way of reflecting light, and the degree of polarization is overwhelmingly higher than that of other solar system objects.It is presumed that this is because the reflectance of Phaeton's celestial body surface is very low or the particle size on the surface is large, but it is not clear yet.
Aiming to solve this problem, JAXA / Chiba Institute of Technology's exploration plan DESTINY + (Destiny Plus: scheduled to be launched in 2022) seems to be proceeding with a plan to observe Phaeton from the vicinity.It is expected that the mystery of this celestial body will be elucidated, including the newly revealed material state of the surface layer.
* The image is quoted from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.
Paper information:[Nature Communications] Extremely strong polarization of an active asteroid (3200) Phaethon
