Joseph Masiero

The main asteroid belt in white is a torus-shaped region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. This area contains a great many solid, irregularly shaped objects that formed from the primordial solar nebula. Jupiter's gravitational perturbations prevented these asteroids from forming a planet. (Public Domain via en.Wikipedia)

The so-called Barbarian asteroids share a set of common polarimetric properties probably related to their shape and composition. Masiero believes that large scale topographic features may play a role in producing the unique polarimetric response these objects display. The group is named after asteroid 234 Barbara, the first identified as having these properties.

Masiero is conducting a year-long survey of five of these rare Barbarians. Using WIRC-Pol, a polarimeter combined with a wide-field infrared camera, he is examining these objects to determine their spinel mineral content, their rotation periods, and their surface contours. These asteroids may be reservoirs of the Solar System's earliest solid materials.