Construction of a photometer to detect stellar occultations by outer solar system bodies for the Whipple mission concept

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph P. Kraft ◽  
Almus T. Kenter ◽  
Charles Alcock ◽  
Stephen S. Murray ◽  
Markus Loose ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Outer Solar System ◽  
Stellar Occultations ◽  
Solar System Bodies

Solar system astrometry, Gaia, and the large surveys – a huge step ahead to stellar occultations by distant small solar system bodies

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (S330) ◽  
pp. 397-398
Author(s):  
J. I. B. Camargo ◽  
M. V. Banda-Huarca ◽  
R. L. Ogando ◽  
J. Desmars ◽  
F. Braga-Ribas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Outer Solar System ◽  
Stellar Occultation ◽  
Stellar Occultations ◽  
Solar System Bodies

AbstractThe stellar occultation technique is a powerful tool to study distant small solar system bodies. Currently, around 2 500 trans-neptunian objects (TNOs) and Centaurs are known. With the astrometry from Gaia and large surveys like the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), accurate predictions of occultation events will be available to tens of thousands of TNOs and Centaurs and boost the knowledge of the outer solar system.

scholarly journals Prediction of stellar occultations by distant solar system bodies in the Gaia era

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (S330) ◽  
pp. 382-385
Author(s):  
Josselin Desmars ◽  
Julio Camargo ◽  
Bruno Sicardy ◽  
Felipe Braga-Ribas ◽  
Roberto Vieira-Martins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Orbit Determination ◽  
Proper Motions ◽  
Close Vicinity ◽  
Gaia Dr1 ◽  
Solar System Objects ◽  
Stellar Occultations ◽  
Solar System Bodies ◽  
Transneptunian Objects ◽  
Gaia Dr2

AbstractStellar occultations are a unique technique to access physical characteristics of distant solar system objects from the ground. They allow the measure of the size and the shape at kilometric level, the detection of tenuous atmospheres (few nanobars), and the investigation of close vicinity (satellites, rings) of Transneptunian objects and Centaurs. This technique is made successful thanks to accurate predictions of occultations. Accuracy of the predictions depends on the uncertainty in the position of the occulted star and the object's orbit. The Gaia stellar catalogue (Gaia Collaboration (2017)) now allows to get accurate astrometric stellar positions (to the mas level). The main uncertainty remains on the orbit. In this context, we now take advantage of the NIMA method (Desmars et al.(2015)) for the orbit determination and of the Gaia DR1 catalogue for the astrometry. In this document, we show how the orbit determination is improved by reducing current and some past observations with Gaia DR1. Moreover, we also use more than 45 past positive occultations observed in the 2009-2017 period to derive very accurate astrometric positions only depending on the position of the occulted stars (about few mas with Gaia DR1). We use the case of (10199) Chariklo as an illustration. The main limitation lies in the imprecision of the proper motions which is going to be solved by the Gaia DR2 release.

Radiolysis of N2-rich astrophysical ice by swift oxygen ions: implication for space weathering of outer solar system bodies

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (35) ◽  
pp. 24154-24165 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. A. Vasconcelos ◽  
S. Pilling ◽  
W. R. M. Rocha ◽  
H. Rothard ◽  
P. Boduch
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Ion Irradiation ◽  
Space Weathering ◽  
Outer Solar System ◽  
Oxygen Ions ◽  
Solar System Bodies

We reported results for ion irradiation of N2-rich ices with implications for space weathering of outer solar bodies.

scholarly journals A Digital Video System for Observing and Recording Occultations

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. (Tony) Barry ◽  
Dave Gault ◽  
Hristo Pavlov ◽  
William Hanna ◽  
Alistair McEwan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Dead Time ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Low Noise ◽  
Recording System ◽  
Outer Solar System ◽  
Main Belt ◽  
Recording Equipment ◽  
The Past ◽  
Solar System Bodies

AbstractStellar occultations by asteroids and outer solar system bodies can offer ground based observers with modest telescopes and camera equipment the opportunity to probe the shape, size, atmosphere, and attendant moons or rings of these distant objects. The essential requirements of the camera and recording equipment are: good quantum efficiency and low noise; minimal dead time between images; good horological faithfulness of the image timestamps; robustness of the recording to unexpected failure; and low cost. We describe an occultation observing and recording system which attempts to fulfil these requirements and compare the system with other reported camera and recorder systems. Five systems have been built, deployed, and tested over the past three years, and we report on three representative occultation observations: one being a 9 ± 1.5 s occultation of the trans-Neptunian object 28978 Ixion (mv =15.2) at 3 seconds per frame; one being a 1.51 ± 0.017 s occultation of Deimos, the 12 km diameter satellite of Mars, at 30 frames per second; and one being a 11.04 ± 0.4 s occultation, recorded at 7.5 frames per second, of the main belt asteroid 361 Havnia, representing a low magnitude drop (Δmv = ~0.4) occultation.

scholarly journals Tholins as coloring agents on outer Solar System bodies

2005 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 178-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dale P. Cruikshank ◽  
Hiroshi Imanaka ◽  
Cristina M. Dalle Ore
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Outer Solar System ◽  
Solar System Bodies ◽  
Coloring Agents

ICE CHEMISTRY ON OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM BODIES: CARBOXYLIC ACIDS, NITRILES, AND UREA DETECTED IN REFRACTORY RESIDUES PRODUCED FROM THE UV PHOTOLYSIS OF N2:CH4:CO-CONTAINING ICES

2014 ◽  
Vol 788 (2) ◽  
pp. 111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher K. Materese ◽  
Dale P. Cruikshank ◽  
Scott A. Sandford ◽  
Hiroshi Imanaka ◽  
Michel Nuevo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Carboxylic Acids ◽  
Outer Solar System ◽  
Uv Photolysis ◽  
Solar System Bodies ◽  
Ice Chemistry

scholarly journals The Infrared Complex Refractive Index of Amorphous Ammonia Ice at 40 K (1.43–22.73 μm) and Its Relevance to Outer Solar System Bodies

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
pp. 240
Author(s):  
Joseph E. Roser ◽  
Alessandra Ricca ◽  
Richard J. Cartwright ◽  
Cristina Dalle Ore ◽  
Dale P. Cruikshank
Keyword(s):  
Refractive Index ◽  
Solar System ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Complex Refractive Index ◽  
Laboratory Data ◽  
Ir Absorption ◽  
Outer Solar System ◽  
Infrared Transmission ◽  
Mid Infrared ◽  
Solar System Bodies

Abstract A near-IR absorption band at 2.2 μm linked to ammonia-containing ice has been detected on icy bodies throughout the solar system and appears in the extensive volume of data for Pluto and Charon returned by New Horizons. This band is an important clue for understanding the abundance of ammonia and ammoniated compounds on the surface of outer solar system bodies and requires new laboratory data for its full analysis. To satisfy this data need, the complex refractive index of amorphous ammonia ice was calculated from experimental infrared transmission spectra with ice deposition and measurements conducted at 40 K, a characteristic surface temperature for outer solar system bodies. The measured imaginary part of the complex refractive index and associated band strength calculations are generally larger than prior published values for amorphous ammonia ice at 30 K. The complex refractive index for amorphous ammonia at 40 K computed in the mid-infrared region (2.5–22.73 μm) will also be valuable for interpreting observations of both solar system and astrophysical sources anticipated with the Near InfraRed Spectrograph and Mid-Infrared Instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope.

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