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6 Hebe (hee'-bee (Pronunciation respelling key), Greek ‘Ήβη) is one of the largest Main belt asteroids, and is probably the parent body of the H chondrite meteorites, which account for a remarkable 40% of all meteorites striking the Earth.
Discovery
Hebe was the sixth asteroid to be discovered, on July 1, 1847. It was the second and final asteroid discovery by Karl Ludwig Hencke, who had previously found 5 Astraea. The name "Hebe" was proposed by Carl Friedrich Gauss, and refers to the Greek goddess of youth, cupbearer for the gods of Mount Olympus until she was married to Heracles, at which point she was succeeded by the Trojan prince Ganymede.
Major meteorite source
6 Hebe is the probable parent body of the H chondrite meteorites and the IIE iron meteorites. Remarkably, this would imply that it is the source of about 40% of all meteorites striking the Earth. Evidence for this connection includes the following (after Michael J. Gaffey and Sarah L. Gilbert [6]):
- The spectrum of Hebe matches a mix of 60% H chondrite and 40% IIE iron meteorite material.
- The IIE type are unusual among the iron meteorites, and probably formed from impact melt, rather than being fragments of the core of a differentiated asteroid.
- The IIE irons and H chondrites likely come from the same parent body, due to similar trace mineral and oxygen isotope ratios.
- Asteroids with spectra similar to the ordinary chondrite meteorites (accounting for 85% of all falls, including the H chondrites) are extremely rare.
- 6 Hebe is extremely well placed to send impact debris to Earth-crossing orbits. Ejecta with even relatively small velocities (~280 m/s) can enter the chaotic regions of the 3:1 Kirkwood gap at 2.50 AU and the nearby secular resonance which determines the high-inclination edge of the main belt at about 16° inclinations hereabouts.
- Of the asteroids in this "well-placed" orbit, Hebe is the largest.
- An analysis of likely contributors to the Earth's meteorite flux places 6 Hebe at the top of the list [7], due to its position and relatively large size. If Hebe is not the H-chondrite parent body, then where are the meteorites from Hebe? [6]
Physical characteristics
Lightcurve analysis suggests that Hebe has a rather angular shape, which may be due to several large impact craters [4]. Hebe rotates in a prograde direction, with the north pole pointing towards ecliptic coordinates (β, λ) = (45°, 339°) with a 10° uncertainty [4]. This gives an axial tilt of 42°.
It has a bright surface and, if its identification as the parent body of the H chondrites is correct, a surface composition of silicate chondritic rocks mixed with pieces of nickel-iron metal. A likely scenario for the formation of the surface metal is as follows:
- Large impacts caused local melting of the iron rich H chondrite surface. The metals, being heavier, would have settled to the bottom of the magma lake, forming a metallic layer buried by a relatively shallow layer of silicates.
- Later sizeable impacts broke up and mixed these layers.
- Small frequent impacts tend to preferentially pulverize the weaker rocky debris, leading to an increased concentration of the larger metal fragments at the surface, such that they eventually comprise ~40% of the immediate surface at the present time.
Jebe
On March 5, 1977 Hebe occulted Kaffaljidhma (γ Ceti), a moderately bright 3rd magnitude star. No other observed occultations by Hebe have been reported.
As a result of that occultation, a small Hebean moon was reported by Paul D. Maley *. It was nicknamed "Jebe" (see Heebie Jeebies). However, the discovery has not been confirmed.
"6 Hebe"