Q-type asteroids are relatively uncommon
inner-belt asteroid
An asteroid is a minor planet—an object larger than a meteoroid that is neither a planet nor an identified comet—that orbits within the Solar System#Inner Solar System, inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). As ...
s with a strong, broad 1
micrometre
The micrometre (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American English), also commonly known by the non-SI term micron, is a uni ...
olivine
The mineral olivine () is a magnesium iron Silicate minerals, silicate with the chemical formula . It is a type of Nesosilicates, nesosilicate or orthosilicate. The primary component of the Earth's upper mantle (Earth), upper mantle, it is a com ...
and
pyroxene
The pyroxenes (commonly abbreviated Px) are a group of important rock-forming inosilicate minerals found in many igneous and metamorphic rocks. Pyroxenes have the general formula , where X represents ions of calcium (Ca), sodium (Na), iron ( ...
feature, and a spectral slope that indicates the presence of metal. There are absorption features shortwards and longwards of 0.7 μm, and the spectrum is generally intermediate between the
V and
S-type.
Q-type asteroids are spectrally more similar to
ordinary chondrite
The ordinary chondrites (sometimes called the O chondrites) are a class of stony chondritic meteorites. They are by far the most numerous group, comprising 87% of all finds. Hence, they have been dubbed "ordinary". The ordinary chondrites are t ...
meteorites (types
H,
L,
LL) than any other asteroid type. This has led scientists to speculate that they are abundant, but only about 20 of this type has been characterized.
Examples of Q-type asteroids are:
1862 Apollo
1862 Apollo is a stony asteroid, approximately 1.5 kilometers in diameter, classified as a near-Earth object (NEO). It was discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at Heidelberg Observatory on 24 April 1932, but lost and not recovered unti ...
,
2102 Tantalus,
3753 Cruithne,
6489 Golevka, and
9969 Braille.
See also
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Asteroid spectral types
An asteroid spectral type is assigned to asteroids based on their reflectance spectrum, color, and sometimes Astronomical albedo, albedo. These types are thought to correspond to an asteroid's surface composition. For small bodies that are not p ...
References
Asteroid spectral classes
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