Vishnu Reddy
Juan A. Sanchez
Michael K. Shepard
Joshua P. Emery
Driss Takir
2016
<p><span>In order to search for evidence of hydration on M-type asteroid (16) Psyche, we observed this object in the 3 </span><i>μ</i><span>m spectral region using the long-wavelength cross-dispersed (LXD: 1.9–4.2<span> </span></span><i>μ</i><span>m) mode of the SpeX spectrograph/imager at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility. Our observations show that Psyche exhibits a 3<span> </span></span><i>μ</i><span>m absorption feature, attributed to water or hydroxyl. The 3<span> </span></span><i>μ</i><span>m absorption feature is consistent with the hydration features found on the surfaces of water-rich asteroids, attributed to OH- and/or H</span><sub>2</sub><span>O-bearing phases (phyllosilicates). The detection of a 3<span> </span></span><i>μ</i><span>m hydration absorption band on Psyche suggests that this asteroid may not be a metallic core, or it could be a metallic core that has been impacted by carbonaceous material over the past 4.5 Gyr. Our results also indicate rotational spectral variations, which we suggest reflect heterogeneity in the metal/silicate ratio on the surface of Psyche.</span></p>
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10.3847/1538-3881/153/1/31
en
American Astronomical Society
Detection of water and/or hydroxyl on asteroid (16) Psyche
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