From the August 2007 issue

Asteroids redden as they age

An asteroid's color reveals the effects of space weathering.
By | Published: August 27, 2007 | Last updated on May 18, 2023
Astronomers who study asteroids note differences between one side of a space rock and another. Research conducted by Clark Chapman of the Southwest Research Institute (SWRI) in Boulder, Colorado, and others suggest exposure to space over millions of years “weathers” an asteroid’s surface in a process called space weathering.