Solar-Radiation Heating Effects on 3200 Phaethon

Apollo-type near-Earth asteroid 3200 Phaethon, having a small perihelion distance of q � 0.14 AU, is classified as F- or B-type, one of subclasses among the C-complex (C-, G-, B-, and F-types) asteroids. The F/B-type asteroids and dehydrated CI and CM carbonaceous chondrites, which are regarded as being linked to each other, underwent a thermal history of high-temperature heatings at more than hundreds of degrees and dehydration for a certain period of time after aqueous alteration in their parent bodies. However, their primary heating mechanism and its timing are less certain and still controversial. We have investigated solar-radiation heating effects on Phaethon at the present planetary-epoch. As a consequence, we have found that the effects on Phaethon, if it is still hydrated, might indeed be a likely candidate for the primary metamorphic heat source. We also found that solar-radiation heating on Phaethon is a function of the latitude, since Phaethon has a highly tilted polar axis. Thus, the northern hemisphere would be selectively more heated than the southern hemisphere. Therefore, we hypothesized that the northern hemisphere, especially the north pole–northern midlatitude region, would be more thermally metamorphosed and dehydrated, if solar-radiation heating is the primary metamorphic heat source of Phaethon. This may provide the latitude-dependent color variations on Phaethon’s surface, although this has not been proven by the existing Phaethon’s spectral data.

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