Mathematics – Probability
Scientific paper
Jul 1999
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1999hst..prop.8105e&link_type=abstract
HST Proposal ID #8105
Mathematics
Probability
Hst Proposal Id #8105 Solar System
Scientific paper
Pluto and Triton, two bodies that likely formed in the solar nebula {rather than a pre-planetary nebula}, hold the promise of telling us much about early conditions in the outer solar system. Pluto and Triton are remarkably similar in size and density, and each suffered an early catastrophic event: Triton's retrograde orbit indicates that it was captured by Neptune, while Pluto's binding with Charon also required a large dissipation of energy. The low probability of such events for two isolated bodies implies that Pluto and Triton have remained from a much larger Kuiper belt population that existed in the past. Observation of a stellar occultation by last year with the FGS has shown that {i} Triton has been undergoing a period of global warming, and {ii} Triton has a much deeper troposphere than previously thought. A similar observation of an occultation by Pluto is proposed to probe whether it is undergoing global change as well. In addition to observing the occultation, we propose astrometric observations that will be critical for deploying portable telescopes and for interpreting Earth-based occultation observations, even if the HST proves not to be within the occultation path.
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