83 Asteroid Observations, Return Missions, and Meteoritics: Interweaving Perspectives and Data
The new age of sample return missions affords opportunities to intercalibrate observational and laboratory results. This session invites studies using observational tools, return mission data and materials, and meteorites to advance our knowledge of asteroids.
Monday, 20 October 2025
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
HBGCC, 214A
JWST Spectroscopy of (142) Polana: a Connection to Bennu and Ryugu
Paper number: 83-1
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 8:05 AM – 8:20 AM
Authors
Abstract
The new Polana collisional family is the hypothesized origin of the near-Earth asteroids (101955) Bennu, which was the target of the NASA OSIRIS-REx mission, and (162173) Ryugu, which was the target of the JAXA Hayabusa2 mission. We present JWST NIRSpec and MIRI spectroscopy of the parent body of the family, (142) Polana, and compare it with spacecraft and laboratory data of both near-Earth asteroids. We find that the near-infrared spectrum of Polana is similar to that of the returned sample from both Bennu and Ryugu, but has a slope that differs from that of the global average spectra taken by both spacecraft. Spectral features at similar wavelengths in the spectra of Polana and Bennu and Ryugu support the hypothesis that both asteroids originated in the Polana family.
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 57, No. 6
doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-412028
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