A Guide to Asteroid-Meteorite Spectral Links

Abstract

There are 24 asteroid spectral types in the Bus-DeMeo spectral classification system and about 27 meteorite mineralogical types. The spectral links between asteroids and meteorites vary a lot in quality and reliability because of challenges with the lack of diagnostic features in some mineralogies and the effects of space weathering. I will review what can be learned remotely from visible and near-infrared spectroscopy about asteroid mineralogy and how to understand asteroid spectral identifications from a geologist's point of view.

Keywords

asteroids / spectroscopy / mineralogy / space weathering / classification