Evidence of surface heterogeneity on active asteroid (3200) Phaethon

Abstract

Thermal infrared emission and thermophysical modeling techniques are powerful tools in deciphering the surface properties of asteroids. The near-Earth asteroid (3200) Phaethon is an active asteroid with a very small perihelion distance and is likely the source of the Geminid meteor shower. Using a thermophysical model with a non-convex shape of Phaethon we interpret thermal infrared observations that span ten distinct sightings. The results yield an effective diameter of 5.4±0.1km and independent thermal inertia estimates for each sighting. We find that the thermal inertia varies across each of these sightings in a way that is stronger than the theoretical temperature-dependent expectation from radiative heat transfer within the regolith. Thus, we test whether the variation in thermal inertia can be explained by the presence of a regolith layer over bedrock, or by a spatially heterogeneous scenario. We find that a model in which Phaethon’s hemispheres have distinctly different thermophysical properties can sufficiently explain the thermal inertias determined herein. In particular, we find that a boundary is located between latitudes −30∘ and +10∘ that separates two regions: a fine-grained southern latitudes and a northern hemisphere that is dominated by coarse-grained regolith and/or a high coverage of porous boulders. We discuss the implications related to Phaethon’s activity, potential association with 2005 UD, and the upcoming DESTINY+ mission.