Massalia collisional family Archives

The Koronis2 family is 7.5 My old from convergence of orbits. Convergence of the longitude of nodes ∆Ω was computed for 100 bodies and 20 clones for each body, in order to include the Yarkovsky effect. Top: a subset of a set of selected clones (colours). Bottom: the clones (gray), the median (violet), and the range (green) of ∆Ω distribution. The percentage of interlopers (removed) is up to 50 %, due to contamination from the neighbouring Karin family. The orbits exhibit a clear convergence at (7.5 ± 0.1) My. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Status Report

Young Asteroid Families As The Primary Source Of Meteorites

by Keith CowingMarch 20, 2024March 20, 2024

Understanding the origin of bright shooting stars and their meteorite samples is among the most ancient astronomy-related questions that at larger scales has human consequences [1-3].

Measured mineralogy (in terms of olivine-to-pyroxene ratio; ol/(ol+opx)) of 15 asteroids from the Massalia family (retrieved from a total of 21 individual spectra), compared to the mineralogy of ordinary chondrites (H, L, LL types) from RELAB. Average values are indicated at the top for each S-type family (families marked with an asterisk had their largest member removed before computing the average). Measurements of (20) Massalia are indicated in the plot (X). While this body lays between the peaks of the H-chondrite and L-chondrite distributions, other family members are clearly compatible with L chondrites. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Status Report

The Massalia Asteroid Family As The Origin Of Ordinary L Chondrites

by Keith CowingMarch 20, 2024March 20, 2024

Studies of micrometeorites in mid-Ordovician limestones and Earth’s impact craters indicate that our planet witnessed a massive infall of ordinary L chondrite material 466 million years (My) ago (Heck et […]