Space weathering, reddening and gardening of asteroids: A complex problem

• Published in: Advances in space research Vol. 40; no. 2; pp. 258 - 261
• Main Authors: Moretti, P.F., Maras, A., Folco, L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 2007
• Subjects: Asteroids; Observations; Space weather; Observations; Space weather; Asteroids
• ISSN: 0273-1177; 1879-1948
• DOI: 10.1016/j.asr.2007.04.022

The association of ordinary chondrites and their parent bodies through their visible and near infrared spectra is still a debate. In fact, many asteroids show reddened spectra, while the ordinary chondrites do not.
In the framework of the space weathering of asteroid surfaces, the interpretation of the reddening, darkening, and depletion of band depths is not as simple as previously described.
We present a summary of the recent results in the study of the reddening of the spectra. To date, different mechanisms have been proposed to explain some properties of spectra, but a complete scenario capable of reproducing the whole set of observations is still missing.