Other
Scientific paper
Sep 2008
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008epsc.conf..811t&link_type=abstract
European Planetary Science Congress 2008, Proceedings of the conference held 21-25 September, 2008 in Münster, Germany. Online a
Other
Scientific paper
MOTIVATION FOR THIS MONITORING To better understand the origin, nature and evolution of the Kuiper Belt Objects (hereafter KBOs) it is needed a characterization of the physical properties of these primitive bodies. We expect that these remote and pristine bodies are rich in ice and other volatiles. They also probably played an important role in the enrichment in volatiles of the solar system inner planets. In fact, the dynamic patterns and the structure of the KB, populated by large ice-rich bodies probably subjected to complex collisional histories are opening new questions. They are for example suspicious of being the source of Centaurs, and Jupiter Family Comets (JFCs) [1]. In fact, the present day known Centaurs are ice-rich bodies that follow unstable orbits crossing those of Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. On the other hand, modelling of JFCs evolution suggests that some are able to get incorporated into the NEO population via a close encounter with Jupiter. These presumably weak bodies are subjected during their inner solar system stays to solar irradiation, collisions, and close approaches that are probably disrupting them in short timescales [2, 3]. To perform a continuous monitoring of Centaurs, and other unusual bodies is interesting because they are little-studied bodies that are probably representing a transition among the different populations [4, 5]. The recent discovery of the activity of some Centaurs (like e.g. C/NEAT 2001T4, 174P/2000 EC98, P/2004 A1 (LONEOS), and 2004 PY42) suggests that many of these bodies exhibit cometary activity [6, 7, 8]. As they are located to moderately large heliocentric distances, the detection of activity can provide interesting constrains on the sublimation mechanisms that originated such activity. During the last 6 years we have been monitoring one of the most famous Centaurs, comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1, that exhibits unusual changes in their coma appearance and brightness [9]. Encouraged by our previous results of Centaur 29P/ and 17P/Holmes [10], and knowing that many Centaurs are bright enough for being followed by using medium-sized telescopes, we are currently developing a continuous monitoring of several Centaurs. Our group is also including in this follow-up some unusual objects that seem to exhibit a cometary behaviour, but were initially catalogued as asteroids belonging the NEO populations. These studies are clearly complementary of our searches for dormant comets on the basis of the meteoroid streams that they (or their progenitors) produced [11].
Davidsson Bjorn
Garcia Melendo E.
Garcia-Hernandez Domingo Anibal
Rodriguez David
Sanchez Angel
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