The mass ratio of Charon to Pluto

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy

Scientific paper

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Hst Proposal Id #7494 Solar System

Scientific paper

We propose to determine the mass ratio of Charon to Pluto from astrometric measurements of Pluto, its satellite and at least two reference stars with the Fine Guidance Sensors. The mass ratio is a basic parameter describing the binary system and is critical to determine the individual densities of Pluto and Charon. The density is diagnostic of the interiors of Pluto and Charon and the origin of the binary system. There have been previous attempts both from the ground and HST {with WFPC} to determine this ratio and only two of the solutions agree within their errors. The ground-based observations are complicated by the overlap of Pluto and Charon images due to their small separation. The previous HST observations {before the servicing mission} had significant field distortions to remove and PSF overlap between Pluto and Charon. The FGS has been calibrated to understand systematic effects in astrometric observations and has demonstrated its capabilities by determining the orbits of faint nearby M-dwarf binary systems with similar separations and magnitude differences. The proposed observations would use a proven method to provide a precise estimate of the mass ratio of Charon to Pluto. This should settle the debate over the value of the Pluto-Charon mass ratio that began when the previous determinations disagreed.

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