Searching for primitive, dark, spectrally red asteroid families in the main belt with Gaia
Ullas Bhat, Chrysa Avdellidou, Marco Delbo, Thomas Dyer

TL;DR
This study uses Gaia DR3 spectra to identify and reclassify certain dark asteroid families in the main belt as potentially primitive, hydrated, and organic-rich T-/D-types, highlighting their possible contribution to near-Earth asteroid populations.
Contribution
It introduces a spectral analysis approach to reclassify asteroid families, revealing their true spectral types and potential primitive compositions.
Findings
Eight asteroid families are reclassified as T-/D-type based on spectral slopes.
Some families may contribute to near-Earth asteroid populations.
Further near-infrared observations are needed for confirmation.
Abstract
Dark asteroids with featureless neutral to red spectra are of particular interest due to their ability to potentially harbour primitive, hydrated, and possibly organic-rich material. These asteroids belong to the spectroscopic C-complex, to the X-types with low geometric visible albedo values as well as to the T- and D-type end members of the Bus-DeMeo spectroscopic taxonomy. Here we used Gaia Data Release 3 visible reflectance spectra to study the average spectral profiles of the C- and X-complex asteroid families in the central and outer main belt (orbital semi-major axis between 2.5 - 3.7~au). We found that eight of these families, namely 96 Aegle, 627 Charis, 1484 Postrema and 5438 Lorre, previously classified as C-complex families, and 322 Phaeo, 1303 Luthera, 5567 Durisen and 53546 2000BY6 previously classified as X-complex families, have redder slopes than implied by their…
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Taxonomy
TopicsAstro and Planetary Science · Planetary Science and Exploration · Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
