THE ENIGMATIC OBJECT-2201 OLJATO - IS IT AN ASTEROID OR AN EVOLVED COMET

The study of the near-Earth object 2201 Oljato has resulted in many surprises in the decade in which it has been examined. Its orbital properties have been associated with meteor showers, and its modeled orbital evolution is chaotic, a property which might indicate a history related to comets. Telescopic observations of its visible and near-infrared spectral reflectance, broad-band visible and near-infrared photometry, infrared radiometric measurements, and radar echoes are reponed here from two apparitions, 1979 and 1983. A look at all available observational data shows that this asteroid has a high radiometric albedo, a property not associated with comet nuclei. In certain wavelength regimes it is classified as an S-type asteroid, in others, an E-type, but its overall spectral reflectance is not typical of either taxonomic type, and neither type is thought of as cometlike. Unexpectedly high ultraviolet reflectance at the 1979 apparition was suggested to be the result of residual outgassing as in a comet. The UV photometric data are modeled as fluorescent emission from neutral species found in comets. The resulting calculations indicate a plausible value for OH and CN emission at 0.3085 and 0.38 mum relative to the observed range of active comets. Observations to monitor photometric variations and to search for gaseous activity using observational techniques designed specifically for this purpose were planned and executed in October 1992 to verify or refute the interpretations presented here.