Compositional properties of planet-crossing asteroids from astronomical surveys

Abstract

Context. The study of planet-crossing asteroids is of both practical and fundamental importance. As they are closer than asteroids in the Main Belt, we have access to a smaller size range, and this population frequently impacts planetary surfaces and can pose a threat to life. Aims. We aim to characterize the compositions of a large corpus of planet-crossing asteroids and to study how these compositions are related to orbital and physical parameters. Methods. We gathered publicly available visible colors of near-Earth objects (NEOs) from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and SkyMapper surveys. We also computed SDSS-compatible colors from reflectance spectra of the Gaia mission and a compilation of ground-based observations. We determined the taxonomy of each NEO from its colors and studied the distribution of the taxonomic classes and spectral slope against the orbital parameters and diameter. Results. We provide updated photometry for 470 NEOs from the SDSS, and taxonomic classification of 7401 NEOs. We classify 42 NEOs that are mission-accessible, including six of the seven flyby candidates of the ESA Hera mission. We confirm the perihelion dependence of spectral slope among S-type NEOs, likely related to a rejuvenation mechanism linked with thermal fatigue. We also confirm the clustering of A-type NEOs around 1.5–2 AU, and predict the taxonomic distribution of small asteroids in the NEO source regions in the Main Belt.