ExploreNEOs: Average albedo by taxonomic complex in the near-Earth asteroid population

Abstract

Understanding the albedo distribution of the near-Earth object (NEO) population allows for a better understanding of the relationship between absolute magnitude and size, which impacts calculations of size-frequency distribution and impact hazards. Examining NEO albedos also sheds light on the differences between the NEO and Main-Belt populations. We combine albedo results from the ExploreNEOs Warm Spitzer Exploration Science program with taxonomic classifications from the literature, publicly available datasets, and new observations from our concurrent spectral survey to derive the average albedos for C-, D-, Q-, S-, V- and X-complex NEOs