The “month” of June for MNRAS (Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society) is a bit light. But the papers present are serious:
Volume 539, Issue 4, June 2025
Avdellidou, C. Bhat , U. Bujdoso, K. et al. Kalliope sings rock and metal Page 3534 staf640
Volume 540, Issue 1, June 2025
Betzler, A. S. Statistical and probabilistic analysis of meteor and superbolide observations from ground and space platforms Page 60 staf673
Ferreira, F. S. Camargo, J. I. B. Boufleur, R. et al. Year six photometric measurements of known Trans-Neptunian Objects and Centaurs by the Dark Energy Survey Page 460 staf650
Volume 540, Issue 2, June 2025
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(22) Kalliope is large, as its low asteroid number hints. Given that it appears to be mostly metal, that’s a huge reserve of nickel, cobalt, platinum-group elements, etc. But, mining aside, what do we really know about Kalliope? Around the asteroid are smaller asteroids, in similar orbits- presumed fragments split off by collisions, or the “Kalliope Family.” Avedellidou et al. study family members (with the NASA IRTF) to see if they shed light on the family as a whole. Do they sample different depths of Kalliope?
Speaking of pieces, meteors are not just a cool light show. The small, faint meteors are the dying sendoffs of dust, presumably shed by comets but also from some asteroids. As meteors get brighter, longer, and more complex, they represent larger pieces, more likely from asteroids. The brightest (superbolides) may actually leave us asteroid fragments on the ground. It is vital that we trace one from the other. Merely reporting “a flash!” doesn’t give us much data to work with.
From pieces on the ground, to the outer realms of the Solar System. Ferreira et al. document their output from the Dark Energy Survey, a predecessor of Vera Rubin with a wide-field camera. That wide field, by coincidence, will catch asteroids, comets, and other small bodies. Limiting themselves to outer Solar System objects, they write up properties (spectral types, albedos, and diameters) they found.