Spectrophotometry and Other Remote-Sensing Methods to Study Asteroids: Achievements and New Approaches

Abstract

Physical parameters and characteristics of asteroids as solid atmosphereless celestial bodies are traditionally studied with the same methods as those used for investigating most of the other celestial objects, though they have certain specific features. The main attention is paid to spectrophotometry, as the most effective tool to study remotely the composition, evolution, and origin of asteroids. However, very important information about asteroids was also obtained by other observational methods, such as photometry, polarimetry, radiometry, and radar. Because of this, in addition to spectrophotometry, we discuss here photometry, polarimetry, and radiometry, which, on the one hand, are very close in methodology and, on the other hand, there has been a trend to their integrated use. In connection with the discovery of sublimation–dust activity on a number of asteroids and the periodic formation of a dust exosphere around these asteroids near perihe lion (see, e.g., Busarev et al., 2021), we also consider a methodologically new approach to estimating the chemical and mineralogical composition of particles in the exosphere of these asteroids and, indirectly, of their surface material.