# Investigation of surface homogeneity of (3200) Phaethon

## TL;DR

This study used time-series photometry and spectrometry to analyze asteroid (3200) Phaethon's surface, revealing a homogeneous southern hemisphere with no evidence of color variation or latitudinal differences, likely due to uniform thermal metamorphism.

## Contribution

It provides new observational evidence that Phaethon's surface is homogeneous across latitudes, supported by spectral analysis and thermal modeling.

## Key findings

- Southern hemisphere of Phaethon is homogeneous.
- No detectable rotational color variation.
- Uniform thermal metamorphism likely causes surface homogeneity.

## Abstract

Time-series multi-band photometry and spectrometry were performed in Nov.-Dec. 2017 to investigate the homogeneity of the surface of asteroid (3200) Phaethon. We found that Phaethon is a B-type asteroid, in agreement with previous studies, and that it shows no evidence for rotational color variation. The sub-solar latitude during our observation period was approximately 55 degree S, which corresponded to the southern hemisphere of Phaethon. Thus, we found that the southern hemisphere of Phaethon has a homogeneous surface. We compared our spectra with existing spectral data to examine the latitudinal surface properties of Phaethon. The result showed that it doesn't have a latitudinal color variation. To explain this observation, we investigated the solar-radiation heating effect on Phaethon, and the result suggested that Phaethon underwent a uniform thermal metamorphism regardless of latitude, which was consistent with our observations. Based on this result, we discuss the homogeneity of the surface of Phaethon.

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/1812.01851