A Spectroscopically Unique Main Belt Asteroid: 10537 (1991 RY16)

TL;DR

This study characterizes asteroid 10537 (1991 RY16) using visible and near-infrared spectra, revealing a unique mineralogical signature that suggests a differentiated parent body and a potentially isolated origin within the Main Belt.

Contribution

It provides the first spectroscopic analysis of asteroid 10537, identifying a unique absorption feature and inferring its mineralogy and possible origin from a differentiated parent body.

Findings

Unique 0.63 micron absorption band identified

Spectral features indicate a mixture of pyroxenes and olivine

Likely originated from a differentiated parent body

Abstract

We present visible and near-infrared reflectance spectra and interpreted surface mineralogy for asteroid 10537 (1991 RY16). The spectrum of this object is without precedent amongst the Main Belt asteroids. A unique absorption band centered at 0.63 microns could be attributed to one of several mineralogies. Pronounced 1- and 2-micron absorption bands suggest that the composition of 10537 is a mixture of pyroxenes and olivine and that it originated from a parent body that was partially or fully differentiated. The closest available analog is the large Main Belt asteroid 349 Dembowska but 10537 may be an isolated fragment from a completely eroded parent body.