Planetary Spectroscopy at MIT


Close Encounter Flyby Movie
Asteroid 2012 KT42

spectrum of 1998 SF36

The Planetary Spectroscopy group at MIT primarily study asteroids, both in the asteroid belt and those that approach the Earth (as well as others, where available!). We use reflectance spectroscopy to classify objects based on their spectral properties as well as doing more detailed studies of their composition.

We use a number of telescopes for our studies, including the Infrared Telescope Facility and the Keck Telescopes on Mauna Kea, telescopes on Kitt Peak in Arizona, and the Magellan telescopes in Chile. We have even published results using data from the Wallace Observatory here in Massachusetts!

Principal Investigator

MIT Collaborators

Local Collaborators

Other U.S. and International Collaborators