Bibcode
Lauretta, D. S.; Hergenrother, C. W.; Chesley, S. R.; Leonard, J. M.; Pelgrift, J. Y.; Adam, C. D.; Al Asad, M.; Antreasian, P. G.; Ballouz, R. -L.; Becker, K. J.; Bennett, C. A.; Bos, B. J.; Bottke, W. F.; Brozović, M.; Campins, H.; Connolly, H. C.; Daly, M. G.; Davis, A. B.; de León, J.; DellaGiustina, D. N.; Drouet d’Aubigny, C. Y.; Dworkin, J. P.; Emery, J. P.; Farnocchia, D.; Glavin, D. P.; Golish, D. R.; Hartzell, C. M.; Jacobson, R. A.; Jawin, E. R.; Jenniskens, P.; Kidd, J. N.; Lessac-Chenen, E. J.; Li, J. -Y.; Libourel, G.; Licandro, J.; Liounis, A. J.; Maleszewski, C. K.; Manzoni, C.; May, B.; McCarthy, L. K.; McMahon, J. W.; Michel, P.; Molaro, J. L.; Moreau, M. C.; Nelson, D. S.; Owen, W. M.; Rizk, B.; Roper, H. L.; Rozitis, B.; Sahr, E. M.; Scheeres, D. J.; Seabrook, J. A.; Selznick, S. H.; Takahashi, Y.; Thuillet, F.; Tricarico, P.; Vokrouhlický, D.; Wolner, C. W. V.
Bibliographical reference
Science
Advertised on:
12
2019
Journal
Citations
102
Refereed citations
97
Description
Active asteroids are those that show evidence of ongoing mass loss. We report repeated instances of particle ejection from the surface of (101955) Bennu, demonstrating that it is an active asteroid. The ejection events were imaged by the OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security─Regolith Explorer) spacecraft. For the three largest observed events, we estimated the ejected particle velocities and sizes, event times, source regions, and energies. We also determined the trajectories and photometric properties of several gravitationally bound particles that orbited temporarily in the Bennu environment. We consider multiple hypotheses for the mechanisms that lead to particle ejection for the largest events, including rotational disruption, electrostatic lofting, ice sublimation, phyllosilicate dehydration, meteoroid impacts, thermal stress fracturing, and secondary impacts.
Related projects
Minor Bodies of the Solar System
This project studies the physical and compositional properties of the so-called minor bodies of the Solar System, that includes asteroids, icy objects, and comets. Of special interest are the trans-neptunian objects (TNOs), including those considered the most distant objects detected so far (Extreme-TNOs or ETNOs); the comets and the comet-asteroid
Julia de
León Cruz