Temperatures of Meteoroids in Space

On the basis of reported optical measurements of iron and stony meteorites, upper and lower limits for solar absorptance and hemispherical emittance of the surfaces of meteoroids have been established. Temperatures of three classes of meteoroids, none larger than approximately 10 meters in radius, have been calculated for various orbits and a/e ratios. These classes are light chondrites, dark chondrites and the irons. Temperatures for a meteoroid in a Mercury orbit range from 100° C for a light chondrite to 400° C for an iron.