D-type asteroid

D-type asteroids have a very low albedo and a featureless reddish electromagnetic spectrum^{[citation needed]}. It has been suggested that they have a composition of organic rich silicates, carbon and anhydrous silicates, possibly with water ice in their interiors^{[citation needed]}. D-type asteroids are found in the outer asteroid belt and beyond; examples are 152 Atala, 588 Achilles, 624 Hektor and 944 Hidalgo.

The Nice model suggests that D-type asteroids may be captured Kuiper belt objects.^[1]

In 1992, Larry A. Lebofsky and colleagues published an article in which they detected a spectral feature at 3 micrometres in 773 Irmintraud, a main-belt D-type asteroid.^[2] This feature was believed to indicate the presence of water on the surface and to indicate that the D-type asteroid was more likely to be in an altered state rather than in an unaltered, primitive or primordial state.^[2]

See also

• Asteroid spectral types

References

1. ^ William B. McKinnon, 2008, "On The Possibility Of Large KBOs Being Injected Into The Outer Asteroid Belt". American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #40, #38.03 [1]
2. ^ ^{a b} Lebofsky, Larry A. (1992) NASA Technical Reports Server. An Infrared Reflectance Study of Low Albedo Surface Constituents. Search archive N92-10830.