Published in the Meteoritics & Planetary Science issue for June (vol. 59 #6):
Jonkers, G. van Maldeghem, F. van Ginneken, M. et al. Oxygen isotope compositions of fr… p. 1236 maps.14145
MacLennan, E. M. Emery, J. P. McClure, L. M. et al. Multifactor characterization of space… p. 1353 maps.14151
You’ll note that I posted about Jonkers and colleages (and amateurs!) collecting roof/gutter micrometeorites (!) in my writeup of ExMAG (Extraterrestrial Materials Analysis Group) this year. The triple-oxygen measurement is one of the key discriminators among astromaterials; the abundances of 17O and 18O (relative to ‘normal’ 16O) won’t change easily. They are, then, tracers of that material, its origin, and its kin materials.
In MacLennan et al., we see yet another effort to study asteroids from Earth (or at least, Earth orbit) via telescopes (“remote sensing”). We see albedos (brightness or darkness), spectral signatures (or broad brushstrokes, not exactly personalized), polarization effects, and phase effects (including albedo changing with phase). The question of what we see, versus what’s actually there, is not as simple as taking a snapshot of the kids. Here, the authors ponder space weathering (surface changes, versus the bulk object) as it relates to grain size; the effect of fine- or coarse-grained surfaces is already known to affect polarization. Where else might the rabbit hole lead?