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R-class asteroid


An extremely red asteroid with a fairly high albedo and strong absorption features shorter than 0.7 micron and near 1 micron. Spectroscopic studies point to a surface rich in basaltic minerals, including pyroxene and olivine. The only recognized example is the main-belt asteroid 349 Dembowska. However, the possibility has been raised that the near-Earth asteroid 2001 XR31 may also be of class R.1


Reference

  1. Marchi, S., Lazzarin, M., and Magrin S. "An R-type asteroid within near-Earth objects?" Astronomy & Astrophysics, 420, L5-L8 (2004).

Related category

   • ASTEROIDS AND OTHER MINOR PLANETS: TYPES AND GROUPS


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