Photometric and polarimetric properties of the Bruderheim chondritic meteorite.

Study of the spectral, photometric, and polarimetric properties of the Bruderheim olivine-hypersthene chondritic meteorite. This meteorite is representative of the most common meteoritic material recovered on earth, and, hence, could also be the most common in interplanetary space. Yet, comparison with astronomical data indicates that none of the asteroids in the main belt for which adequate observations exist can be matched with Bruderheim properties. Only the surface of the Apollo asteroid Icarus does, in light of polarization and photometry data, appear to be consistent with an ordinary chondrite composition. This suggests the possibility that this material, although common in earth-crossing orbits, is rare as a surface constituent in the main asteroid belt.