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Tedesco, E.

Publications and source records attributed to Tedesco, E..

The dust coma of periodic Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko (1982 VIII)

IR emission from the dust comet of Comet C-G was monitored at 1-20 microns with the 3-m NASA Infrared Telescope Facility at Mauna Kea, Hawaii during its perihelion passage from September 1982 to March 1983. The maximum dust production rate of approximately 200,000 g/sec was found to occur approximately one month after perihelion. It was also found that no obvious 1-micron silicate feature was present at 1.33 AU preperihelion, and that the ratio of dust/gas production was higher in other short-period comets observed in the infrared, particularly preperihelion. The low albedos derived for the dust grains (less than 0.05 micron) are noted to be plausible for mineral mixtures expected in cometary grains.

Hanner, M. S.↗

Compositional structure of the asteroid belt

A variety of observations, mainly albedos derived from 10 and 20 micron radiometry and eight-filter broadband spectrophotometry, were used to show that the asteroid belt is highly structured in composition. The bias-corrected distribution from 1.8 to 5.2 A.U. of the previously defined compositional types C,S,E,R, and M, plus type D and the newly described types F and P, are reported on. In terms of the relative abundances of the types discussed, the asteroid belt appears to be composed of at least six major compositionally distinct regions. The inferred composition of the asteroids in each semimajor axis region is consistent with the theory that the asteroids accreted from the solar nebula at or near their present location.

Gradie, J.↗

1580 Betulia - An unusual asteroid with an extraordinary lightcurve

Results of UBV photometry and polarimetry of 1580 Betulia during its 1976 apparition are presented. The synodic period of rotation is found to be 6.130 hr. The linear phase coefficient and absolute magnitude of the primary maximum in V are 0.032 mag/deg and 14.88, respectively. No color variations with rotation or solar phase angle were detected, the mean colors being B-V = 0.66 and U-B = 0.24. Betulia's light curve is unique among asteroids studied to date in that it displays three maxima and three minima within one rotational cycle, indicative of a region of greater roughness and/or a dark spot on one of its broad faces. Polarization results indicate a low albedo and a mean diameter of about 7 km, establishing Betulia as the first C-type asteroid to be found among the Mars crossers. A model accounting for most features of Betulia's light curve is given by a prolate spheroid rotating about one of its shorter axes having an axis ratio of 1:1.21 with a major topographic feature on one of its broad faces.

Tedesco, E.↗