Images of Asteroid 21 Lutetia: A Remnant Planetesimal from the Early Solar System

Images obtained by the Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Remote Imaging System (OSIRIS) cameras onboard the Rosetta spacecraft reveal that asteroid 21 Lutetia has a complex geology and one of the highest asteroid densities measured so far, 3.4 ± 0.3 grams per cubic centimeter. The north pole regi...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science
Main Authors: Sierks, H., Lamy, P., Barbieri, C., Koschny, D., Rickman, H., Rodrigo, R., A'Hearn, M., Angrilli, F., Barucci, Antonella, Bertaux, J.-L., Bertini, I., Besse, S., Carry, B, Cremonese, Gabriele, da Deppo, V., Davidsson, B., Debei, S., De Cecco, M., De Leon, J., Ferri, F., Fornasier, Sonia, Fulle, M., Hviid, S., Gaskell, Robert W., Groussin, Olivier, Gutierrez, P.J., Ip, W.-H., Jorda, L, Kaasalainen, M., Keller, H. U., Knollenberg, J., Kramm, R., Kührt, Ekkehard, Küppers, Michael, Lara, Luisa M., Lazzarin, M., Leyrat, C., Moreno, J.J., Magrin, S., Marchi, S., Marzari, F., Massironi, Matteo, Michalik, H., Moissl, R., Naletto, G., Preusker, Frank, Sabau, L., Sabolo, W., Scholten, Frank, Snodgrass, C., Thomas, N., Tubiana, C., Vernazza, P, Vincent, J.B., Wenzel, K.-P., Andert, T., Pätzold, M, Weiss, B.P.
Format: Other Non-Article Part of Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2011
Subjects:
Online Access:http://elib.dlr.de/73321/
Description
Summary:Images obtained by the Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Remote Imaging System (OSIRIS) cameras onboard the Rosetta spacecraft reveal that asteroid 21 Lutetia has a complex geology and one of the highest asteroid densities measured so far, 3.4 ± 0.3 grams per cubic centimeter. The north pole region is covered by a thick layer of regolith, which is seen to flow in major landslides associated with albedo variation. Its geologically complex surface, ancient surface age, and high density suggest that Lutetia is most likely a primordial planetesimal. This contrasts with smaller asteroids visited by previous spacecraft, which are probably shattered bodies, fragments of larger parents, or reaccumulated rubble piles.