The classification of asteroids

Abstract

Over the past decade several attempts have been made to classify asteroids into groups on the basis, primarily, of their physical properties. As more data have become available, so the number of proposed classes has grown. We first review the development of classification schemes for asteroids to date. Then we examine the possibility of applying a radically different approach to asteroid classification. This is based on numerical taxonomy: a technique already well-established in other areas of science.