Albedo heterogeneity on the surface of (1943) Anteros

Abstract

We have investigated the effect of rotation on the polarization of scattered light for the near-Earth asteroid (1943) Anteros using the Dual Beam Imaging Polarimeter on the University of Hawaii’s 2.2 m telescope. Anteros is an L-type asteroid that has not been previously observed polarimetrically. We find weak but significant variations in the polarization of Anteros as a function of rotation, indicating albedo changes across the surface. Specifically, we find that Anteros has a background albedo of p v = 0.18 ± 0.02 with a dark spot of p v < 0.09 covering <2% of the surface.