Is Nereid a binary satellite?

Details Is Nereid a binary satellite? Is Nereid a binary satellite?

Feb 1989

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1989em%26p...44..175f&link_type=abstract

Earth, Moon, and Planets (ISSN 0167-9295), vol. 44, Feb. 1989, p. 175-179. Research supported by CNR and MPI.

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

1

Nereid, Solar System, Astronomical Photometry, Gravitational Effects, Luminosity, Orbit Perturbation, Tides

Scientific paper

If real, Nereid's recently observed large photometric variations can be explained by modeling this Neptunian satellite as a quasi-contact binary system made of two similar, ellipsoidal components distorted by their mutual tides. Both the amplitude and the likely periodicity of the observed luminosity changes are consistent with the binary model, provided Nereid's density is close to 1 g/cu cm. The assumed binary would be probably stable against Neptune's gravitational perturbations, and its origin could be due to rotational fission following a catastrophic impact.

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