The Albedo-Color Diversity of Transneptunian Objects

Pedro Lacerda; Sonia Fornasier; Emmanuel Lellouch; Csaba Kiss; Esa Vilenius; Pablo Santos-Sanz; Miriam Rengel; Thomas Müller; John Stansberry; René Duffard; Audrey Delsanti; Aurélie Guilbert-Lepoutre

doi:10.1088/2041-8205/793/1/L2

The Albedo-Color Diversity of Transneptunian Objects

Pedro Lacerda, Sonia Fornasier, Emmanuel Lellouch, Csaba Kiss, Esa Vilenius, Pablo Santos-Sanz, Miriam Rengel, Thomas Müller, John Stansberry, René Duffard, Audrey Delsanti, Aurélie Guilbert-Lepoutre

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Abstract

We analyze albedo data obtained using the Herschel Space Observatory that reveal the existence of two distinct types of surface among midsized trans-Neptunian 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 in our sample located in dynamically stable orbits within the classical Kuiper Belt region and beyond are confined to the bright red group, 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.

Original language	English
Number of pages	6
Journal	The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Volume	793
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/793/1/L2
Publication status	Published - 29 Aug 2014
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Kuiper belt: general

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10.1088/2041-8205/793/1/L2Licence: Unspecified

The Albedo-Color Diversity of Transneptunian Objects
C 2014. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. This work is made available online in accordance with the publisher’s policies.
Final published version, 701 KBLicence: Unspecified

http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014ApJ...793L...2L

Cite this

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title = "The Albedo-Color Diversity of Transneptunian Objects",

abstract = "We analyze albedo data obtained using the Herschel Space Observatory that reveal the existence of two distinct types of surface among midsized trans-Neptunian 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 in our sample located in dynamically stable orbits within the classical Kuiper Belt region and beyond are confined to the bright red group, 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.",

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doi = "10.1088/2041-8205/793/1/L2",

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T1 - The Albedo-Color Diversity of Transneptunian Objects

AU - Lacerda, Pedro

AU - Fornasier, Sonia

AU - Lellouch, Emmanuel

AU - Kiss, Csaba

AU - Vilenius, Esa

AU - Santos-Sanz, Pablo

AU - Rengel, Miriam

AU - Müller, Thomas

AU - Stansberry, John

AU - Duffard, René

AU - Delsanti, Audrey

AU - Guilbert-Lepoutre, Aurélie

PY - 2014/8/29

Y1 - 2014/8/29

N2 - We analyze albedo data obtained using the Herschel Space Observatory that reveal the existence of two distinct types of surface among midsized trans-Neptunian 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 in our sample located in dynamically stable orbits within the classical Kuiper Belt region and beyond are confined to the bright red group, 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.

AB - We analyze albedo data obtained using the Herschel Space Observatory that reveal the existence of two distinct types of surface among midsized trans-Neptunian 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 in our sample located in dynamically stable orbits within the classical Kuiper Belt region and beyond are confined to the bright red group, 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.

KW - Kuiper belt: general

U2 - 10.1088/2041-8205/793/1/L2

DO - 10.1088/2041-8205/793/1/L2

M3 - Article

SN - 2041-8213

VL - 793

JO - The Astrophysical Journal Letters

JF - The Astrophysical Journal Letters

IS - 1

ER -

The Albedo-Color Diversity of Transneptunian Objects

Abstract

Keywords

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