Surface compositions of NEOs

The physical characterization of the surfaces of Near Earth Objects (NEOs) is crucial to analyse the relationships among NEOs and the other populations of minor bodies of the Solar System (main-belt asteroids, comets and meteorites) and to investigate NEO origin and evolution. Reflectance spectroscopy provides a powerful tool for determining several aspects of the surface composition of atmosphereless bodies. In particular, photometry and spectroscopy in a large wavelength interval (from visible to far-infrared) allow us to characterize the materials present on the surfaces of NEOs and to classify them, depending on the albedo values and the observed spectral behaviour. To cite this article: E. Dotto et al., C. R. Physique 6 (2005).