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# Program information file
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PROGRAM_ID           2024B032
PROGRAM_TITLE        Surveying the Diversity of Ultra-red Main Belt Asteroids
PROGRAM_INV1         Oriel Humes
PROGRAM_INV2         Cristina Thomas
PROGRAM_INV3         Aidan Madden-Watson
PROGRAM_INV4          
PROGRAM_INV5          
PROGRAM_SCICAT       main-belt / Trojan asteroids
PROGRAM_ABSTRACT_BEG
Among Main Belt asteroids, ultra-red visible and near-infrared spectral slopes are commonly assumed to be indicative of that asteroid's origin in the early outer Solar System. However, recent work has shown that asteroids with ultra-red visible spectral slopes have a diversity of spectral appearances in the near-infrared, and may not all be sourced from the same parent population. To quantify this diversity, we propose a multi-semester survey of asteroids with ultra-red visible spectral slopes as identified by the Gaia DR3 catalog. In 2024b, we will use the SpeX instrument and MORIS guider to obtain NIR spectra of 12 of these ultra-red asteroids from the Gaia catalog that reach visible magnitudes of 18 or brighter and are visible from Mauna Kea. Combined with the existing Gaia spectra, we will produce a full VNIR spectrum that can be compared to existing classification schemes for asteroids and TNOs. By examining a large number of ultra-red asteroids, we will be able to identify common sub-classes of ultra-red asteroids, map their distribution in orbital element space, and refine estimates of the extent of delivery of outer Solar System material to the Main Belt.
PROGRAM_ABSTRACT_END