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Could anyone explain how exactly they know an asteroid is made out of certain material? What data are they observing from a telescope that tells them it’s iron
by jeffrwells 6y ago
Could anyone explain how exactly they know an asteroid is made out of certain material?
What data are they observing from a telescope that tells them it’s iron and nickel, vs some other metal, vs rock? Especially with such precision around the composition
- bombcar 6y agohttp://curious.astro.cornell.edu/our-solar-system/72-our-solar-system/comets-meteors-and-asteroids/asteroids/295-how-are-asteroid-compositions-and-classifications-determined-intermediate http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/our-solar-system/72-our-sol... Infrared spectrometers.
- BurningFrog 6y agoFrom https://www.swri.org/press-release/16-psyche-asteroid-surface-observation-ultraviolet-wavelengths https://www.swri.org/press-release/16-psyche-asteroid-surfac... > “We were able to identify for the first time on any asteroid what we think are iron oxide ultraviolet absorption bands,” she said. “This is an indication that oxidation is happening on the asteroid, which could be a result of the solar wind hitting the surface.” You can also calculate density from gravity interactions, but I don't know if asteroids are big enough for that.