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Tamaño y albedo del objeto del cinturón de Kuiper 55636 de una ocultación estelar
J L Elliot1, M J Person, C A Zuluaga
1Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA. jle@mit.edu
Nature
|June 19, 2010
Resumen
Las observaciones revelan que el objeto 55636 del cinturón de Kuiper es más pequeño y más reflectante de lo que se pensaba. Esto sugiere un resurgimiento activo o la estabilidad a largo plazo del hielo de agua superficial en el sistema solar exterior.
Área de la Ciencia:
- Ciencias planetarias Ciencias planetarias.
- Exploración del sistema solar Exploración del sistema solar
- Objetos del Cinturón de Kuiper Objetos del Cinturón de Kuiper
Sus antecedentes:
- El cinturón de Kuiper, una región más allá de Neptuno, alberga numerosos cuerpos pequeños (objetos del cinturón de Kuiper, KBOs) formados con los planetas.
- Estudiar KBO es un desafío debido a su pequeño tamaño y gran distancia.
- KBO 55636 (2002 TX300) pertenece a la familia de colisiones Haumea, conocida por sus miembros ricos en hielo de agua y altamente reflectantes.
Objetivo del estudio:
- Para determinar con precisión el tamaño y la reflectividad de KBO 55636.6.
- Investigar las implicaciones de sus propiedades físicas en su edad y composición de la superficie.
- Para entender los procesos que rigen la evolución de los objetos del cinturón de Kuiper.
Principales métodos:
- Observaciones de una ocultación estelar de múltiples cuerdas por KBO 55636 el 9 de octubre de 2009.
- Análisis de las curvas de luz de ocultación para obtener parámetros geométricos.
- Cálculo del radio medio y el albedo geométrico en la banda fotométrica V.
Principales resultados:
- KBO 55636 tiene un radio medio de 143 ± 5 km, lo que indica que es más pequeño de lo estimado anteriormente.
- El objeto exhibe un alto albedo geométrico, similar a su cuerpo padre.
- La edad dinámica sugiere que la colisión ocurrió hace al menos mil millones de años.
Conclusiones:
- KBO 55636 es un cuerpo altamente reflectante, más pequeño que las estimaciones anteriores.
- Sus propiedades desafían los modelos actuales, lo que implica un rejuvenecimiento activo de la superficie o la persistencia gigantesca del hielo de agua de superficie.
- Este hallazgo ofrece información sobre la estabilidad a largo plazo de los volátiles en el Sistema Solar exterior.
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