Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2004-07-16
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal, November 2004 18 pages, 5 figuers
Scientific paper
10.1086/424535
We have measured the separations and position angles of the two components of the binary transneptunian object 1997 CQ29 at eight epochs. From these data we are able to constrain the orbit and mass of this binary system. The best fitting orbit has an orbital period of P = 312+/-3 days. The orbital eccentricity is e = 0.45+/-0.03 and the semimajor axis is a = 8,010+/-80 km. The mass of the system is surprisingly low at 0.42+/-0.02 x 10^18 kg. To account for the observed brightness consistent with the low mass and a range of plausible densities, the geometric albedo must be very high; for an assumed density of 1000 kg m^-3 we find a red geometric albedo of p_R = 0.37, an order of magnitude higher than has been generally assumed for transneptunian objects. If objects with comparably high albedos are common in the Kuiper belt, estimates of the mass of the belt must be significantly reduced. The semimajor axis of 1997 CQ29's orbit is 2.8% of the Hill radius of the primary, a value strikingly similar to this same ratio in other transneptunian binaries, main-belt binaries, and regular satellite systems.
Griffin Ian
Grundy Will M.
Noll Keith S.
Osip David J.
Stephens Denise C.
No associations
LandOfFree
The Orbit and Albedo of Transneptunian Binary 1997 CQ29 does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with The Orbit and Albedo of Transneptunian Binary 1997 CQ29, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and The Orbit and Albedo of Transneptunian Binary 1997 CQ29 will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-635957