NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2009A-0417
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NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2009A-0417 |
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PI: Rachel Stevenson, University of Hawaii, rach@ifa.hawaii.edu
Address: Institute for Astronomy, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
CoI: David Jewitt, University of Hawaii
Title: Hydrated Hildas - The Search for Liquid Water in the Early Solar System
Abstract:
The Hilda asteroids are in a 2:3 orbital resonance with Jupiter and
lie between the well-studied main belt asteroids and the ice-deficient
Jovian Trojans. It is known that many asteroids in the main belt have
hydrated minerals on their surfaces. This confirms that these asteroids
once had significant ice deposits that later melted and chemically
altered the surrounding minerals. The distribution of the hydrated
asteroids can be used to constrain the range over which ice was able to
form and subsequently melt. Hydrated asteroids have been observed in
the main belt but little is known about the extent of hydration amongst
the Hilda asteroids - a group of objects that is likely to have also
undergone aqueous alteration. Using optical spectra of the Hilda
asteroids we will examine the extent of hydration in the mid-Solar
System and the implications for heating in the early Solar nebula.
National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 North Cherry Avenue, P.O. Box 26732, Tucson, Arizona 85726, Phone: (520) 318-8000, Fax: (520) 318-8360
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NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2009A-0417 |
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