Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2003-09-16
Astron.Astrophys.410:L29-L32,2003
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
4 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics Letters
Scientific paper
10.1051/0004-6361:20031420
We revisit the Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs) color controversy allegedly solved by Tegler and Romanishin 2003. We debate the statistical approach of the quoted work and discuss why it can not draw the claimed conclusions, and reanalyze their data sample with a more adequate statistical test. We find evidence for the existence of two color groups among the Centaurs. Therefore, mixing both centaurs and TNOs populations lead to the erroneous conclusion of a global bimodality, while there is no evidence for two color groups in the TNOs population alone. We use quasi-simultaneous visible color measurements published for 20 centaurs (corresponding to about half of the identified objects of this class), and conclude on the existence of two groups. With the surface evolution model of Delsanti et al. (2003) we discuss how the existence of two groups of Centaurs may be compatible with a continuous TNOs color distribution.
Barucci Maria-Antonella
Belskaya Irina
Boehnhardt Hermann
Delsanti Audrey
Doressoundiram Alain
No associations
LandOfFree
Reopening the TNOs Color Controversy: Centaurs Bimodality and TNOs Unimodality 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 Reopening the TNOs Color Controversy: Centaurs Bimodality and TNOs Unimodality, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Reopening the TNOs Color Controversy: Centaurs Bimodality and TNOs Unimodality will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-690055