# Evidence for Surface Variegation in Rosetta OSIRIS Images of Asteroid 2867 Steins

## TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution OSIRIS images from Rosetta's flyby to analyze asteroid 2867 Steins' surface features, revealing a landslide and color variegation suggesting surface heterogeneity and geological activity.

## Contribution

It provides the first detailed surface analysis of Steins using enhanced imaging techniques, identifying surface variegation and a landslide linked to its shape.

## Key findings

- Detection of a landslide supporting YORP effect hypothesis
- Identification of a bluer interior in one crater indicating compositional differences
- Enhanced imaging reveals surface heterogeneity

## Abstract

The OSIRIS camera onboard Rosetta successfully acquired images of asteroid 2867 Steins through a variety of color filters during the flyby on 5 September 2008. The best images of this 5 km diameter asteroid have a resolution of 78 meters per pixel. We process the images by deconvolving with the point spread function and enlarging through the Mitchell-Netravali filter. The enhanced set is analyzed by means of various techniques (PCA, band ratios, stereo anaglyphs) to study surface morphology and search for variegation. We identify a landslide, which supports a YORP origin for Steins' unusual diamond shape. In addition, we find that the interior of one of two large craters on the south pole is bluer than the rest of the body.