DOCSLIB.ORG

Phd. Compositional Variation of Small Bodies Across the Solar System

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Phd. Compositional Variation of Small Bodies Across the Solar System Observatoire de Paris Ecole´ Doctorale Astronomie et Astrophysique d'^Ile-de-France THESE` DE DOCTORAT pr´esent´eepour obtenir le grade de DOCTEUR DE L'OBSERVATOIRE DE PARIS Sp´ecialit´e:Astronomie & Astrophysique par Francesca E. DeMeo La variation compositionnelle des petits corps `atravers le syt`emesolaire soutenue le 16 juin 2010 devant le jury: Dr. Bruno Sicardy Pr´esident Dr. Hermann Boehnhardt Rapporteur Dr. Alberto Cellino Rapporteur Dr. Humberto Campins Examinateur Dr. Beth Clark Examinateur Dr. Daniel Hestroffer Examinateur Dr. M. Antonietta Barucci Co-Directrice de th`ese Dr. Richard P. Binzel Co-Directeur de th`ese LESIA, Observatoire de Paris-Meudon [email protected] The Paris Observatory Doctoral School of Astronomy and Astrophysics of ^Ile-de-France DOCTORAL THESIS presented to obtain the degree of DOCTOR OF THE PARIS OBSERVATORY Specialty: Astronomy & Astrophysics by Francesca E. DeMeo The compositional variation of small bodies across the Solar System defended the 16th of June 2010 before the jury: Dr. Bruno Sicardy President Dr. Hermann Boehnhardt Reviewer Dr. Alberto Cellino Reviewer Dr. Humberto Campins Examiner Dr. Beth Clark Examiner Dr. Daniel Hestroffer Examiner Dr. M. Antonietta Barucci Co-Advisor Dr. Richard P. Binzel Co-Advisor LESIA, Observatoire de Paris-Meudon [email protected] Abstract Small bodies hold keys to our understanding of the Solar System. By studying these populations we seek the information on the conditions and structure of the primordial and current Solar System, its evolution, and the formation process of the planets. Constraining the surface composition of small bodies provides us with the ingredients and proportions for this cosmic recipe. This thesis, comprised of studies of inner and outer Solar System small bodies, is dedicated to understanding the compositional gradient across the Solar System through spectroscopic and photometric measurements. I present a taxonomy of visible and near-infrared spectral data based on 371 asteroid spectra. The taxonomy consists of 24 classes that best categorize the spectral variation seen among inner Solar System small bodies. From the creation of this taxonomy we learn that with only visible wavelength data there is uncertainty in shape of the 1-µm band. While near-infrared wavelength range is excellent for interpreting data containing diagnostic 1- and 2-µm bands, the more subtly featured C- and X-complexes appear to be largely degenerate in this wavelength regime. I analyze the photometric colors of 23 Transneptunian Objects and Centaurs, nine of which have never been previously observed, and assign them taxonomic classifications. I discuss objects that either have changed classes from previous data or have significant changes in absolute magnitude. Furthermore, I interpret the surface composition of three outer Solar System small bodies, Jupiter-coupled object (52872) Okyrhoe, and TNOs (90482) Orcus and (73480) 2002 PN34, by modeling spectroscopic measurements in the visible and near-infrared wavelength ranges. The spectra reveal varying amounts of H2O ice among these bodies. For Orcus I provide rough constraints for the presence of materials more volatile than water ice. I present a search for solid ethane, C2H6, on the surfaces of Pluto and Triton, based on near-infrared spectral observations. I model each surface using a radiative transfer model based on Hapke theory (Hapke, 1993) with three basic models: without ethane, with pure ethane, and with ethane diluted in nitrogen. While the presence of less than a few percent of ethane cannot be excluded on both bodies, there is no strong detection on either. Finally, I review the current knowledge of the compositional distribution of material in our Solar System, providing the global view of small bodies. I particularly focus on the presence of water in all its phases which is especially pertinent our understanding of our own planet, Earth, and the life on it. I briefly compare the general structure of our Solar System to other imaged debris disks to put into perspective the detailed, though narrow, view of our own Solar System with the broad, low resolution view of others. Keywords: Planetology, Asteroids, Transneptunian Objects, Centaurs, Observations, Spectroscopy, Photometry R´esum´e Les petits corps sont des cl´espour comprendre notre syst`emesolaire. L'´etudede cette population nous donne en effet acc`esaux informations sur l'´etatet sur la structure du syst`emesolaire primordial et du syst`emesolaire actuel, ainsi que sur son ´evolution et sur les processus de formation des plan`etes. Conna^ıtrela composition de surface des petits corps nous fournit des ingr´edients et des proportions pour cette recette cosmique. Cette th`ese,qui inclut l'´etudedes petits corps du syst`emesolaire interne et externe, est d´edi´ee`ala compr´ehensionde la tendance compositionnelle des corps `atravers le syst`eme solaire en utilisant des mesures photom´etriqueset spectroscopiques. Je pr´esente une classification (taxonomie) dans les longueurs d'ondes du visible et du proche infrarouge (de 0.4 2.4 µm), bas´eesur les donnes spectrales de 371 ast´ero¨ıdes.Cette taxonomie comprend 24 classes qui chacune caract´eriseau mieux les variations spectrales observ´eesparmi les petits corps du syst`eme solaire interne. De part la cr´eationde cette taxonomie, nous apprenons qu'en analysant les donn´eesdans les longueurs d'ondes du visible uniquement, il reste des incertitudes sur la forme de la bande d'absorption `a1 micron. Bien que la gamme de longueur d'onde du proche infrarouge soit excellente pour interpr´eter les donn´eesincluant les bandes diagnostiques `a1 et 2 microns, les complexes C et X des spectres sans fortes bandes paraissent plut^otd´eg´en´er´es dans ce r´egime. J'analyse les couleurs photom´etriquesdes 23 objets trans-neptuniens (OTN) et Centaures, parmi lesquels neuf n'avaient jamais ´et´eobserv´espr´ec´edemment, et je leur assigne une classe taxonomique. Je discute des objets qui ont soit chang´ede classe depuis les donn´eespr´ealablessoit chang´econsid´erablement de magnitude absolue. De plus, j'interpr`etela composition de surfaces de trois petits corps du syst`eme solaire externe, l'objet coupl´eavec Jupiter (52872) Okyrhoe et les OTNs (90482) Orcus et (73480) 2002 PN34, en mod´elisant des mesures spectroscopiques dans les gammes du visible et du proche infrarouge. Les spectres r´ev`elent des variations de quantit´ede glace d'eau `ala surface de ces corps. Pour Orcus j'apporte des contraintes approximatives sur la pr´esence de mat´eriauxplus volatiles que la glace d'eau. Ensuite, je pr´esente une recherche de l'´ethanesolide, C2H6, sur les surfaces de Pluton et de Triton. Celle-ci est bas´eesur les observations spectrales dans les longueurs d'ondes du proche infrarouge. Je mod´elisechaque surface en utilisant un mod`elede transfert radiatif fond´esur la th´eoriede Hapke (Hapke, 1993) de trois mani`eres: sans ´ethane,avec de l'´ethanepur, et avec de l'´ethanedilu´edans de l'azote. La pr´esencede moins de quelques pourcents d'´ethanesur chaque corps ne permet pas d'exclure ce composant de Triton et Pluton, cependant il n'y a pas non plus de forte d´etection. Finalement, je reconsid`erela connaissance actuelle de la distribution compositionnelle des mat´eriaux de notre syst`emesolaire en fournissant une vue globale des petits corps. Je me concentre particuli`erement sur la pr´esencede l'eau dans toutes ses phases qui est pertinente surtout pour notre propre plan`ete,la Terre, et la vie. Je compare bri`evement la structure g´en´eralede notre syst`emesolaire aux autres disques d'accr´etion,afin de mettre en perspective la vue d´etaill´eemais cependant ´etroitede notre syst`emesolaire avec celle, plus large mais `abasse r´esolution,des autres syst`emesplan´etaires. Mots-cl´es: Plan´etologie,Ast´ero¨ıdes, Objets Trans n´eptuniens,Centaures, Observations, Spectro- scopie, Photom´etrie Contents Abstract 2 I Introduction and Background9 Introduction 11 1 Background 13 1.1 The Current Structure of the Solar System .......................... 14 1.1.1 Planets .......................................... 14 1.1.2 Dwarf Planets ...................................... 14 1.1.3 Comets .......................................... 14 1.1.4 Asteroids ......................................... 15 1.1.5 Centaurs and TNOs ................................... 17 1.2 Solar System Evolution ..................................... 18 1.2.1 Solar System Formation................................. 19 1.2.2 Planet Migration: The Nice Model........................... 20 1.2.3 Passing Star, Companion Star, and Rogue Planet Theories ............. 21 1.2.4 The Late Heavy Bombardment............................. 22 1.2.5 Effects currently shaping the Solar System....................... 22 1.3 The surfaces of small bodies................................... 23 1.3.1 Composition ....................................... 23 1.3.2 Surface Evolution..................................... 25 2 Observational Data 30 2.1 Methods of investigating surface composition ......................... 31 2.1.1 Photometry........................................ 31 2.1.2 Spectroscopy ....................................... 32 2.2 Telescopes and Instruments................................... 32 2.2.1 IRTF ........................................... 32 2.2.2 VLT............................................ 33 2.3 Data Reduction.......................................... 33 2.3.1 Calibration files...................................... 35 2.3.2 Photometry Reduction.................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Ice& Stone 2020
    Ice & Stone 2020 WEEK 34: AUGUST 16-22 Presented by The Earthrise Institute # 34 Authored by Alan Hale This week in history AUGUST 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 AUGUST 16, 1898: DeLisle Stewart at Harvard College Observatory’s Boyden Station in Arequipa, Peru, takes photographs on which Saturn’s outer moon Phoebe is discovered, although the images of Phoebe were not noticed until the following March by William Pickering. Phoebe was the first planetary moon to be discovered via photography, and it and other small planetary moons are discussed in last week’s “Special Topics” presentation. AUGUST 16, 2009: A team of scientists led by Jamie Elsila of the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland announces that they have detected the presence of the amino acid glycine in coma samples of Comet 81P/ Wild 2 that were returned to Earth by the Stardust mission 3½ years earlier. Glycine is utilized by life here on Earth, and the presence of it and other organic substances in the solar system’s “small bodies” is discussed in this week’s “Special Topics” presentation. AUGUST 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 AUGUST 17, 1877: Asaph Hall at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. discovers Mars’ larger, inner moon, Phobos. Mars’ two moons, and the various small moons of the outer planets, are the subject of last week’s “Special Topics” presentation. AUGUST 17, 1989: In its monthly batch of Minor Planet Circulars (MPCs), the IAU’s Minor Planet Center issues MPC 14938, which formally numbers asteroid (4151), later named “Alanhale.” I have used this asteroid as an illustrative example throughout “Ice and Stone 2020” “Special Topics” presentations.
    [Show full text]
  • Surface Characteristics of Transneptunian Objects and Centaurs from Photometry and Spectroscopy
    Barucci et al.: Surface Characteristics of TNOs and Centaurs 647 Surface Characteristics of Transneptunian Objects and Centaurs from Photometry and Spectroscopy M. A. Barucci and A. Doressoundiram Observatoire de Paris D. P. Cruikshank NASA Ames Research Center The external region of the solar system contains a vast population of small icy bodies, be- lieved to be remnants from the accretion of the planets. The transneptunian objects (TNOs) and Centaurs (located between Jupiter and Neptune) are probably made of the most primitive and thermally unprocessed materials of the known solar system. Although the study of these objects has rapidly evolved in the past few years, especially from dynamical and theoretical points of view, studies of the physical and chemical properties of the TNO population are still limited by the faintness of these objects. The basic properties of these objects, including infor- mation on their dimensions and rotation periods, are presented, with emphasis on their diver- sity and the possible characteristics of their surfaces. 1. INTRODUCTION cally with even the largest telescopes. The physical char- acteristics of Centaurs and TNOs are still in a rather early Transneptunian objects (TNOs), also known as Kuiper stage of investigation. Advances in instrumentation on tele- belt objects (KBOs) and Edgeworth-Kuiper belt objects scopes of 6- to 10-m aperture have enabled spectroscopic (EKBOs), are presumed to be remnants of the solar nebula studies of an increasing number of these objects, and signifi- that have survived over the age of the solar system. The cant progress is slowly being made. connection of the short-period comets (P < 200 yr) of low We describe here photometric and spectroscopic studies orbital inclination and the transneptunian population of pri- of TNOs and the emerging results.
    [Show full text]
  • The Active Centaurs
    The Astronomical Journal, 137:4296–4312, 2009 May doi:10.1088/0004-6256/137/5/4296 C 2009. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. THE ACTIVE CENTAURS David Jewitt Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA; [email protected] Received 2009 January 5; accepted 2009 February 24; published 2009 April 3 ABSTRACT The Centaurs are recent escapees from the Kuiper Belt that are destined either to meet fiery oblivion in the hot inner regions of the solar system or to be ejected to the interstellar medium by gravitational scattering from the giant planets. Dynamically evolved Centaurs, when captured by Jupiter and close enough to the Sun for near-surface water ice to sublimate, are conventionally labeled as “short-period” (specifically, Jupiter-family) comets. Remarkably, some Centaurs show comet-like activity even when far beyond the orbit of Jupiter, suggesting mass loss driven by a process other than the sublimation of water ice. We observed a sample of 23 Centaurs and found nine to be active, with mass-loss rates measured from several kg s−1 to several tonnes s−1. Considered as a group, we find that the “active Centaurs” in our sample have perihelia smaller than the inactive Centaurs (median 5.9 AU versus 8.7 AU), and smaller than the median perihelion distance computed for all known Centaurs (12.4 AU). This suggests that their activity is thermally driven. We consider several possibilities for the origin of the mass loss from the active Centaurs. Most are too cold for activity at the observed levels to originate via the sublimation of crystalline water ice.
    [Show full text]
  • Untangling the Formation and Liberation of Water in the Lunar Regolith
    Untangling the formation and liberation of water in the lunar regolith Cheng Zhua,b,1, Parker B. Crandalla,b,1, Jeffrey J. Gillis-Davisc,2, Hope A. Ishiic, John P. Bradleyc, Laura M. Corleyc, and Ralf I. Kaisera,b,2 aDepartment of Chemistry, University of Hawai‘iatManoa, Honolulu, HI 96822; bW. M. Keck Laboratory in Astrochemistry, University of Hawai‘iatManoa, Honolulu, HI 96822; and cHawai‘i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai‘iatManoa, Honolulu, HI 96822 Edited by Mark H. Thiemens, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA, and approved April 24, 2019 (received for review November 15, 2018) −8 −6 The source of water (H2O) and hydroxyl radicals (OH), identified between 10 and 10 torr observed either an ν(O−H) stretching − − on the lunar surface, represents a fundamental, unsolved puzzle. mode in the 2.70 μm (3,700 cm 1) to 3.33 μm (3,000 cm 1) region The interaction of solar-wind protons with silicates and oxides has exploiting infrared spectroscopy (7, 25, 26) or OH/H2Osignature been proposed as a key mechanism, but laboratory experiments using secondary-ion mass spectrometry (27) and valence electron yield conflicting results that suggest that proton implantation energy loss spectroscopy (VEEL) (28). However, contradictory alone is insufficient to generate and liberate water. Here, we dem- studies yielded no evidence of H2O/OH in proton-bombarded onstrate in laboratory simulation experiments combined with minerals in experiments performed under ultrahigh vacuum − − imaging studies that water can be efficiently generated and re- (UHV) (10 10 to 10 9 torr) (29).
    [Show full text]
  • (145453) 2005 RR43: a Case for a Carbon-Depleted Population of Tnos?
    A&A 468, L25–L28 (2007) Astronomy DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20077294 & c ESO 2007 Astrophysics Letter to the Editor The water ice rich surface of (145453) 2005 RR43: a case for a carbon-depleted population of TNOs? N. Pinilla-Alonso1, J. Licandro2,3, R. Gil-Hutton4, and R. Brunetto5,6 1 Fundación Galileo Galilei & Telescopio Nazionale Galileo, PO Box 565, 38700, S/C de La Palma, Tenerife, Spain e-mail: [email protected] 2 Isaac Newton Group, 38700 Santa Cruz de La Palma, Tenerife, Spain 3 Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, c/Vía Láctea s/n, 38205 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain 4 Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito (Casleo) and San Juan National University, Av. España 1512 sur, J5402DSP, San Juan, Argentina 5 Dipartimento di Fisica, Università del Salento, via Arnesano, 73100 Lecce, Italy 6 INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania, via S. Sofia 78, 95123 Catania, Italy Received 13 February 2007 / Accepted 23 April 2007 ABSTRACT Context. Recent results suggest that there is a group of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) (2003 EL61 being the biggest member), with surfaces composed of almost pure water ice and with very similar orbital elements. These objects provide exciting laboratories for the study of the processes that prevent the formation of an evolved mantle of organics on the surfaces of the bodies in the trans-Neptunian belt (TNb). Aims. We study the surface composition of another TNO that moves in a similar orbit, (145453) 2005 RR43, and compare it with the surface composition of the other members of the group. Methods. We report visible and near-infrared spectra in the 0.53−2.4 µm spectral range, obtained with the 4.2 m William Herschel Telescope and the 3.58 m Telescopio Nazionale Galileo at the “Roque de los Muchachos” Observatory (La Palma, Spain).
    [Show full text]
  • Photometric Study of Two Near-Earth Asteroids in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Moving Objects Catalog
    University of North Dakota UND Scholarly Commons Theses and Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, and Senior Projects January 2020 Photometric Study Of Two Near-Earth Asteroids In The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Moving Objects Catalog Christopher James Miko Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.und.edu/theses Recommended Citation Miko, Christopher James, "Photometric Study Of Two Near-Earth Asteroids In The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Moving Objects Catalog" (2020). Theses and Dissertations. 3287. https://commons.und.edu/theses/3287 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, and Senior Projects at UND Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UND Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. PHOTOMETRIC STUDY OF TWO NEAR-EARTH ASTEROIDS IN THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY MOVING OBJECTS CATALOG by Christopher James Miko Bachelor of Science, Valparaiso University, 2013 A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of North Dakota in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Grand Forks, North Dakota August 2020 Copyright 2020 Christopher J. Miko ii Christopher J. Miko Name: Degree: Master of Science This document, submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree from the University of North Dakota, has been read by the Faculty Advisory Committee under whom the work has been done and is hereby approved. ____________________________________ Dr. Ronald Fevig ____________________________________ Dr. Michael Gaffey ____________________________________ Dr. Wayne Barkhouse ____________________________________ Dr. Vishnu Reddy ____________________________________ ____________________________________ This document is being submitted by the appointed advisory committee as having met all the requirements of the School of Graduate Studies at the University of North Dakota and is hereby approved.
    [Show full text]
  • Visible and Near-Infrared Colors of Transneptunian Objects and Centaurs from the Second ESO Large Program
    A&A 493, 283–290 (2009) Astronomy DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:200810561 & c ESO 2008 Astrophysics Visible and near-infrared colors of Transneptunian objects and Centaurs from the second ESO large program F. E. DeMeo1, S. Fornasier1,2, M. A. Barucci1,D.Perna1,3,4, S. Protopapa5, A. Alvarez-Candal1, A. Delsanti1, A. Doressoundiram1, F. Merlin1, and C. de Bergh1 1 LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, 92195 Meudon Principal Cedex, France e-mail: [email protected] 2 Université de Paris 7 Denis Diderot, Paris, France 3 INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, via Frascati 33, 00040 Monte Porzio Catone, Italy 4 Università di Roma Tor Vergata, via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Roma, Italy 5 Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Lindau, Germany Received 10 July 2008 / Accepted 9 October 2008 ABSTRACT Aims. We investigate color properties and define or check taxonomic classifications of objects observed in our survey. Methods. All observations were performed between October 2006 and September 2007 at the European Southern Observatory 8 m Very Large Telescope, UT1 and UT2 at the Paranal Observatory in Chile. For visible photometry, we used the FORS1 instrument, and for near-infrared, ISAAC. Taxonomic classifications from the Barucci system were assigned using G-mode analysis. Results. We present photometric observations of 23 TNOs and Centaurs, nine of which have never been previously observed. Eighteen of these objects were assigned taxonomic classifications: six BB, four BR, two RR, and six that are given two or more categories due to insufficient data. Three objects that had been previously observed and classified, changed classes most likely due to surface vari- ation: 26375 (1999 DE9), 28978 (Ixion), and 32532 (Thereus).
    [Show full text]
  • Occultation Newsletter Volume 8, Number 4
    Volume 12, Number 1 January 2005 $5.00 North Am./$6.25 Other International Occultation Timing Association, Inc. (IOTA) In this Issue Article Page The Largest Members Of Our Solar System – 2005 . 4 Resources Page What to Send to Whom . 3 Membership and Subscription Information . 3 IOTA Publications. 3 The Offices and Officers of IOTA . .11 IOTA European Section (IOTA/ES) . .11 IOTA on the World Wide Web. Back Cover ON THE COVER: Steve Preston posted a prediction for the occultation of a 10.8-magnitude star in Orion, about 3° from Betelgeuse, by the asteroid (238) Hypatia, which had an expected diameter of 148 km. The predicted path passed over the San Francisco Bay area, and that turned out to be quite accurate, with only a small shift towards the north, enough to leave Richard Nolthenius, observing visually from the coast northwest of Santa Cruz, to have a miss. But farther north, three other observers video recorded the occultation from their homes, and they were fortuitously located to define three well- spaced chords across the asteroid to accurately measure its shape and location relative to the star, as shown in the figure. The dashed lines show the axes of the fitted ellipse, produced by Dave Herald’s WinOccult program. This demonstrates the good results that can be obtained by a few dedicated observers with a relatively faint star; a bright star and/or many observers are not always necessary to obtain solid useful observations. – David Dunham Publication Date for this issue: July 2005 Please note: The date shown on the cover is for subscription purposes only and does not reflect the actual publication date.
    [Show full text]
  • The Orbital Distribution of Near-Earth Objects Inside Earth’S Orbit
    Icarus 217 (2012) 355–366 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Icarus journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/icarus The orbital distribution of Near-Earth Objects inside Earth’s orbit ⇑ Sarah Greenstreet a, , Henry Ngo a,b, Brett Gladman a a Department of Physics & Astronomy, 6224 Agricultural Road, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada b Department of Physics, Engineering Physics, and Astronomy, 99 University Avenue, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada article info abstract Article history: Canada’s Near-Earth Object Surveillance Satellite (NEOSSat), set to launch in early 2012, will search for Received 17 August 2011 and track Near-Earth Objects (NEOs), tuning its search to best detect objects with a < 1.0 AU. In order Revised 8 November 2011 to construct an optimal pointing strategy for NEOSSat, we needed more detailed information in the Accepted 9 November 2011 a < 1.0 AU region than the best current model (Bottke, W.F., Morbidelli, A., Jedicke, R., Petit, J.M., Levison, Available online 28 November 2011 H.F., Michel, P., Metcalfe, T.S. [2002]. Icarus 156, 399–433) provides. We present here the NEOSSat-1.0 NEO orbital distribution model with larger statistics that permit finer resolution and less uncertainty, Keywords: especially in the a < 1.0 AU region. We find that Amors = 30.1 ± 0.8%, Apollos = 63.3 ± 0.4%, Atens = Near-Earth Objects 5.0 ± 0.3%, Atiras (0.718 < Q < 0.983 AU) = 1.38 ± 0.04%, and Vatiras (0.307 < Q < 0.718 AU) = 0.22 ± 0.03% Celestial mechanics Impact processes of the steady-state NEO population.
    [Show full text]
  • Color Properties and Trends of the Transneptunian Objects
    Doressoundiram et al.: Color Properties 91 Color Properties and Trends of the Transneptunian Objects A. Doressoundiram Observatoire de Paris Hermann Boehnhardt Max-Planck Institute for Solar System Research Stephen C. Tegler Northern Arizona University Chad Trujillo Gemini Observatory The color of transneptunian objects (TNOs) is the first and basic information that can be easily obtained to study the surface properties of these faint and icy primitive bodies of the outer solar system. Multicolor broadband photometry is the only tool at the moment that al- lows characterization of the entire population that is relevant for statistical work. Using the colors available for more than 170 objects it is possible to get a first glance at the color distri- bution in the Edgeworth-Kuiper belt. First, results show that a wide color diversity character- izes the outer solar system objects. Transneptunian objects have surfaces showing dramatically different colors and spectral reflectances, from neutral to very red. At least one cluster of ob- jects with similar color and dynamical properties (the red, dynamically cold classical TNOs beyond 40 AU) could be identified. Furthermore, evidence for correlations between colors and orbital parameters for certain objects have been found at a high significance level. Both color diversity and anisotropy are important because they are diagnostic of some physical effects processing the surfaces of TNOs and/or some possible composition diversity. In this paper, we will review the current knowledge of the color properties of TNOs, describe the observed color distribution and trends within the Edgeworth-Kuiper belt, and address the problem of their possible origin.
    [Show full text]
  • A Spectral Comparison of (379) Huenna and Its Satellite ⇑ Francesca E
    Icarus 212 (2011) 677–681 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Icarus journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/icarus A spectral comparison of (379) Huenna and its satellite ⇑ Francesca E. DeMeo a,b, ,1, Benoît Carry c,b,d, Franck Marchis e, Mirel Birlan f,1, Richard P. Binzel a,f, Schelte J. Bus g, Pascal Descamps f, Alin Nedelcu f,h,1, Michael Busch i, Hervé Bouy c a Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA b LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, 5 Place Jules Janssen, 92195 Meudon Principal Cedex, France c European Space Astronomy Centre, ESA, P.O. Box 78, 28691 Villanueva de la Cañada, Madrid, Spain d Université Paris 7 Denis-Diderot, 5 rue Thomas Mann, 75205 Paris Cedex, France e University of California at Berkeley, Dept. Of Astronomy, 601 Campbell Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA f IMCCE, UMR8028 CNRS, Observatoire de Paris, 77 avenue Denfert-Rochereau, 75014 Paris Cedex, France g Institute for Astronomy, 640 N. Aohoku Place, Hilo, HI 96720, USA h Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy, 5 Cutßitul de Argint, RO-75212 Bucharest, Romania i Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, 595 Charles Young Dr. E., Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA article info abstract Article history: We present near-infrared spectral measurements of Themis family Asteroid (379) Huenna (D 98 km) Received 17 June 2010 and its 6 km satellite using SpeX on the NASA IRTF. The companion was farther than 1.500 from the pri- Revised 2 February 2011 mary at the time of observations and was approximately 5 magnitudes dimmer.
    [Show full text]
  • Detecting the Yarkovsky Effect Among Near-Earth Asteroids From
    Detecting the Yarkovsky effect among near-Earth asteroids from astrometric data Alessio Del Vignaa,b, Laura Faggiolid, Andrea Milania, Federica Spotoc, Davide Farnocchiae, Benoit Carryf aDipartimento di Matematica, Universit`adi Pisa, Largo Bruno Pontecorvo 5, Pisa, Italy bSpace Dynamics Services s.r.l., via Mario Giuntini, Navacchio di Cascina, Pisa, Italy cIMCCE, Observatoire de Paris, PSL Research University, CNRS, Sorbonne Universits, UPMC Univ. Paris 06, Univ. Lille, 77 av. Denfert-Rochereau F-75014 Paris, France dESA SSA-NEO Coordination Centre, Largo Galileo Galilei, 1, 00044 Frascati (RM), Italy eJet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, 91109 CA, USA fUniversit´eCˆote d’Azur, Observatoire de la Cˆote d’Azur, CNRS, Laboratoire Lagrange, Boulevard de l’Observatoire, Nice, France Abstract We present an updated set of near-Earth asteroids with a Yarkovsky-related semi- major axis drift detected from the orbital fit to the astrometry. We find 87 reliable detections after filtering for the signal-to-noise ratio of the Yarkovsky drift esti- mate and making sure the estimate is compatible with the physical properties of the analyzed object. Furthermore, we find a list of 24 marginally significant detec- tions, for which future astrometry could result in a Yarkovsky detection. A further outcome of the filtering procedure is a list of detections that we consider spurious because unrealistic or not explicable with the Yarkovsky effect. Among the smallest asteroids of our sample, we determined four detections of solar radiation pressure, in addition to the Yarkovsky effect. As the data volume increases in the near fu- ture, our goal is to develop methods to generate very long lists of asteroids with reliably detected Yarkovsky effect, with limited amounts of case by case specific adjustments.
    [Show full text]