Engineering topics

Gradie, J.

Publications and source records attributed to Gradie, J..

21 records · Page 2

NASA NTRS1976

Polarization of the reflected light of asteroid 433 Eros

Linear polarizations measured for asteroid 433 Eros at various wavelengths and at solar phase angles ranging from 9 to 53 deg are presented. The polarization results are entirely typical of main-belt S asteroids, and indicate a dusty surface with geometric albedo 0.20. The derived effective diameter at photometric maximum is 21 km. Eros is quite uniform polarimetrically; no dependence on aspect is detected, and the polarization is shown to be constant during a single rotation with a precision of one part in forty.

Zellner, B.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Minor planets and related objects. XX - Polarimetric evidence for the albedos and compositions of 94 asteroids

Polarimetric observations are presented and analyzed for a total of 94 asteroids. The data include numerical parameters describing the polarization-plane curve, the maximum depth of the negative branch, geometric albedo, and diameter. With few exceptions, the polarizations are found to be repeatable from hour to hour, night to night, and apparition to apparition at the same solar phase angle within an observational accuracy of plus or minus 0.05%. It is shown that over a range of more than a factor of 50 in diameter or a factor of 100,000 in mass, all the asteroids seem to have microscopically very rough or particulate surface textures. In terms of their polarimetric properties, the asteroids are classified as follows: 48 in the broad S class, with compositions corresponding to stony-iron meteorites or ordinary chondrites; 34 in the C class, probably corresponding to carbonaceous chondrites; three to five M asteroids with surfaces rich in free metal; two with low-opacity surfaces (class E) attributable to pure enstatite; and five of other types.

Zellner, B.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Minor planets and related objects. XVI - Polarimetric diameters

Polarimetric observations of 43 asteroids are presented. All objects show a well-developed negative polarization branch as an indicator of unconsolidated surface regoliths. The empirical slope-albedo law for diffusely reflecting solid surfaces is reexamined and used to compute polarimetric albedos and diameters for 30 asteroids. In many cases the results are in good agreement with infrared-radiometric diameters; the older visual diameter measurements were systematically too small. Radiometric albedos below 5%, however, are not confirmed by the polarimetry. Bimodal frequency distributions are noted for asteroid color, albedo, and the depth of the negative polarization branch. Correlations between B - V color and polarimetric parameters suggest that most of the asteroid population can be divided into silicaceous and carbonaceous opacity classes.

Zellner, B.↗