There were 5 new TNO discoveries announced since the previous issue of Distant EKOs:
2011 HL103, 2011 KW48, 2012 VR113, 2013 QO95, 2013 QP95
and 4 new Centaur/SDO discoveries:
2011 JD32, 2012 VS113, 2013 TV158, 2014 OG392
Reclassified objects:
2013 LU28 (CentaurSDO)
Deleted/Re-identified objects:
2014 LJ9 = 2013 LU28
Current number of TNOs: 1277 (including Pluto)
Current number of Centaurs/SDOs: 401
Current number of Neptune Trojans: 9
Out of a total of 1687 objects:
646 have measurements from only one opposition
629 of those have had no measurements for more than a year
326 of those have arcs shorter than 10 days
(for more details, see:
http://www.boulder.swri.edu/ekonews/objects/recov_stats.jpg)
Context. A stellar occultation observed on 3rd June 2013 revealed the presence of two dense and narrow rings separated by a small gap around the Centaur object (10199) Chariklo. The composition of these rings is not known. We suspect that water ice is present in the rings, as is the case for Saturn and other rings around the giant planets.
Aims. In this work, we aim to determine if the variability in the absolute magnitude of Chariklo and the temporal variation of the spectral ice feature, even when it disappeared in 2007, can be explained by an icy ring system whose aspect angle changes with time.
Methods. We explained the variations on the absolute magnitude of
Chariklo and its ring by modeling the light reflected by a system as the
one described above. Using X-Shooter at VLT, we obtained a new
reflectance spectra. We compared this new set of data with the ones
available in the literature. We showed how the water ice feature is
visible in 2013 in accordance with the ring configuration, which had an
opening angle of nearly 34
in 2013. Finally, we also used models of
light scattering to fit the visible and near-infrared spectra that shows
different characteristics to obtain information on the composition of
Chariklo and its rings.
Results. We showed that absolute photometry of Chariklo from the
literature and new photometric data that we obtained in 2013 can be
explained by a ring of particles whose opening angle changes as a
function of time. We used the two possible pole solutions for the ring
system and found that only one of them, 
=151.30
,
(
,
), provides the right variation of the aspect angle with time to
explain the photometry, whereas the other possible pole solution fails
to explain the photometry. From spectral modeling, we derived the
composition of the Chariklo surface and that of the rings using the
result on the pole solution. Chariklo surface is composed with about
60% of amorphous carbon, 30% of silicates and 10% of organics; no
water ice was found on the surface. The ring, on the other hand,
contains 20% of water ice, 40-70% of silicates, and 10-30% of
tholins and small quantities of amorphous carbon.
Published in: Astronomy & Astrophysics, 568, A79 (2014 August)
For preprints, contact duffard@iaa.es
or on the web at http://arxiv.org/abs/1407.4599
Context. Rings have recently been discovered around the Centaur 10199 Chariklo.
Aims. In this paper we present new photometric data, obtained at the 4.2m SOAR telescope, aiming to investigate Chariklo's absolute magnitude and rotational period, which is still unknown, and to look for potential cometary activity.
Method. The field background of the images was very crowded so several approaches were used for the extraction of Chariklo fluxes. The background sources were subtracted using difference image analysis and then aperture photometry was applied. A Fourier polynomial fit was used to determine the period.
Results. We find a synodic rotation period of
7.004
0.036 h. The visual absolute magnitude derived from the SOAR
data is Hv= 7.030.10. We model the rings' contribution to the
flux, and find that the derived Hv is consistent with the predicted
ring system aspect angle. We also revised the Chariklo system albedo
(4.2%) and effective radius (1195 km) from a re-analysis of
HERSCHEL and WISE thermal data obtained during 2010 with the correct
Hv value. No coma is detected from the SOAR data, nor in previous VLT
images acquired in 2007-2008, where the rings' aspect angle was close to
zero. The upper limit to the dust production rate is 2.5 kg/s.
Published in: Astronomy and Astrophysics, 568, L11 (2014 August)
Available on the web at http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201424439
We present results for the short-term variability of Binary
Trans-Neptunian Objects (BTNOs). We performed CCD photometric
observations using the 3.58 m Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG), the
1.5 m Sierra Nevada Observatory (OSN) telescope, and the 1.23 m Centro
Astronómico Hispano Alemán (CAHA) telescope at Calar Alto
Observatory. We present results based on five years of observations and
report the short-term variability of six BTNOs. Our sample contains
three classical objects: (174567) 2003 MW12, or Varda,
(120347) 2004 SB60, or Salacia, and 2002 VT130; one detached
disk object: (229762) 2007 UK126; and two resonant objects:
(341520) 2007 TY430 and (38628) 2000 EB173, or Huya. For each
target, possible rotational periods and/or photometric amplitudes are
reported. We also derived some physical properties from their
lightcurves, such as density, primary and secondary sizes, and albedo.
We compiled and analyzed a vast lightcurve database for Trans-Neptunian
Objects (TNOs) including centaurs to determine the lightcurve amplitude
and spin frequency distributions for the binary and non-binary
populations. The mean rotational periods, from the Maxwellian fits to
the frequency distributions, are 8.630.52 h for the entire sample,
8.370.58 h for the sample without the binary population, and
10.111.19 h for the binary population alone. Because the centaurs
are collisionally more evolved, their rotational periods might not be so
primordial. We computed a mean rotational period, from the Maxwellian
fit, of 8.860.58 h for the sample without the centaur population,
and of 8.640.67 h considering a sample without the binary and the
centaur populations. According to this analysis, regular TNOs spin
faster than binaries, which is compatible with the tidal interaction of
the binaries.
Finally, we examined possible formation models for several systems studied in this work and by our team in previous papers.
To appear in: Astronomy and Astrophysics
For preprints, contact thirouin@iaa.es
or on the web at http://arxiv.org/abs/1407.1214
We analyze albedo data obtained using the Herschel Space Observatory that reveal the existence of two distinct types of surface among midsized transneptunian objects. A color-albedo diagram shows two large clusters of objects, one redder and higher albedo and another darker and more neutrally colored. Crucially, all objects located in dynamically stable orbits within the classical Kuiper belt region and beyond are confined to the brighter and redder of the two groups, implying a compositional link. Those objects are believed to have formed further from the Sun than the dark-neutral bodies. This color-albedo separation is evidence for a compositional discontinuity in the young solar system.
To appear in: The Astrophysical Journal Letters
For preprints, contact lacerda@mps.mpg.de or lacerda.pedro@gmail.com
or on the web at http://arxiv.org/abs/1406.1420
Context. We present astrometric positions of Pluto, consistent
with the International Celestial Reference System, from 4412 CCD frames
observed over 120 nights with three telescopes at the Observatório do
Pico dos Dias in Brazil, covering a time span from 1995 to 2013, and
also 145 frames observed over 11 nights in 2007 and 2009 with the
ESO/MPG 2.2m telescope equipped with the Wide Field Imager (WFI).
Aims. Our aim is to contribute to the study and improvement of the orbit of Pluto with new astrometric methods and positions.
Methods. All astrometric positions of Pluto were reduced with the Platform for Reduction of Astronomical Images Automatically (PRAIA), using the USNO CCD Astrograph Catalogue 4 (UCAC4) as the reference catalogue. Modern planetary ephemeris was used for comparisons. The positions were corrected for differential chromatic refraction. The (x,y) center of Pluto was determined from corrections to the measured photocenter, which was contaminated by Charon. The corrections were obtained with an original procedure based on analytical expressions derived from a two-dimensional Gaussian function - the point spread function (PSF) fitted to the images to derive the (x,y) measurements.
Results. We obtained mean values of 4 mas and 37 mas for right
ascension and declination, and standard deviations of
= 45 mas and
= 49 mas, for the offsets in the sense
observed minus ephemeris position, after the corrections. The
astrometric positions of Pluto for 19 years of observations in Brazil,
corrected for the differential chromatic refraction and for the
Pluto/Charon photocenter effects, highlights a drift in declination of
about 100 mas since 2005 when compared to DE421. This drift is the
coherent with that when DE421 is compared to stellar occultation data
and is no longer noticed when our positions are compared to more recent
ephemerides. The results indicate that the DE421 Pluto ephemeris used in
this work need to be corrected.
To appear in: Astronomy and Astrophysics
For preprints, contact gustavorossi@on.br
We accept submissions for the following sections:
Distant EKOs is not a refereed publication, but is a tool for furthering communication among people interested in Kuiper belt research. Publication or listing of an article in the Newsletter or the web page does not constitute an endorsement of the article's results or imply validity of its contents. When referencing an article, please reference the original source; Distant EKOs is not a substitute for peer-reviewed journals.
