Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: We spectroscopically characterized the Didymos system, target of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART)/Light Italian Cubesat for Imaging of Asteroids (LICIACube) space mission, close in time to the DART impact event, during six nights between 2022 August and November at Telescopio Nazionale Galileo. Here, we show that near-infrared (NIR) spectra (0.75–2.25 μm) look mostly similar within the same night and between different nights. They are in good agreement with the only spectrum previously available in the literature, observed almost 20 years before those reported in this paper. During one of the observing nights we also obtain spectroscopy information on the ejecta tail induced by the DART impact. The spectrum of the ejecta tail is also very similar to Didymos/Dimorphos itself. All of these aspects seem to suggest that the Didymos system in the NIR looks mostly homogeneous, with very subtle spectral variations.
Source: The Planetary Science Journal
DOI: 10.3847/psj/ad793e
Authors: Simone Ieva, E. Mazzotta Epifani, E. Dotto, V. Petropoulou, J. D. P. Deshapriya, P. H. Hasselmann, G. Poggiali, D. Perna, M. Dall’Ora, A. Lucchetti, M. Pajola, S. L. Ivanovski, A. Rossi, J. R. Brucato, P. Palumbo, V. Della Corte, A. Zinzi, C. A. Thomas, J. de León, T. Kareta, N. Moskovitz, N. L. Chabot, A. S. Rivkin, M. Amoroso, I. Bertini, A. Capannolo, S. Caporali, M. Ceresoli, G. Cremonese, I. Gai, L. Gomez-Casajus, E. Gramigna, G. Impresario, R. Lasagni Manghi, M. Lavagna, M. Lombardo, D. Modenini, S. Pirrotta, P. Tortora, F. Tusberti, M. Zannoni, G. Zanotti
Institutions: Astronomical Observatory of Rome, National Institute for Astrophysics, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paris Cité, Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory, Observatoire de Paris, Sorbonne Université, Laboratoire d’études spatiales et d’instrumentation en astrophysique, Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte, Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Trieste Astronomical Observatory, Nello Carrara Institute of Applied Physics, Parthenope University of Naples, Institute for Space Astrophysics and Planetology, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, Northern Arizona University, Universidad de La Laguna, Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Lowell Observatory, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Politecnico di Milano, University of Bologna
Language: English
Topic: Astro and Planetary Science
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,800
OpenAlex ID: W4403336925