Occultation sheds light on KBO
Posted: Thu, Jun 17, 2010, 6:54 AM ET (1054 GMT)
Planetary astronomers have made the first observation of a Kuiper Belt object (KBO) occulting a star, providing information on its size and albedo. An MIT-led time, reporting in this week's issue of the journal Nature, reported on observations of a KBO designated 55636 as it passed in front of a bright star last October. Astronomers used the observations to determine the KBO's radius, 143 kilometers, and its albedo. They found the object is highly reflective, a surprising result since other objects in the outer solar system have darker surfaces as solar radiation darkens icy surfaces and as dust accumulates.
Planetary astronomers have made the first observation of a Kuiper Belt object (KBO) occulting a star, providing information on its size and albedo. An MIT-led time, reporting in this week's issue of the journal Nature, reported on observations of a KBO designated 55636 as it passed in front of a bright star last October. Astronomers used the observations to determine the KBO's radius, 143 kilometers, and its albedo. They found the object is highly reflective, a surprising result since other objects in the outer solar system have darker surfaces as solar radiation darkens icy surfaces and as dust accumulates.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
Roscosmos replaces cosmonaut on next Crew Dragon mission to ISS
Posted: Sat, Dec 6 9:45 AM ET (1445 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Sunday, December 14
Unseenlabs and S&P Global Collaborate for Maritime Surveillance from Space
Unseenlabs — 10:38 am ET (1538 GMT) New research group to explore the evolution of the Magellanic Clouds
Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics — 10:32 am ET (1532 GMT) SpacePNT starts manufacturing the ultra-precise GNSS receiver for GENESIS mission
SpacePNT — 10:31 am ET (1531 GMT) UAH student researcher leads discovery of fastest gamma-ray burst ever recorded
Univ. of Alabama Huntsville — 10:30 am ET (1530 GMT) Gemini and Blanco Telescopes Unlock Clues to Origin of Longest Gamma-ray Burst Ever Observed
National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory — 10:29 am ET (1529 GMT) |
