Recovery of Inner Satellites of Neptune

Details Recovery of Inner Satellites of Neptune Recovery of Inner Satellites of Neptune

Jul 1996

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1996hst..prop.6753s&link_type=abstract

HST Proposal ID #6753

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Hst Proposal Id #6753 Solar System

Scientific paper

Six small inner satellites of Neptune were discovered by Voyager 2 in 1989, and none of them have been observed since. The orbital positions of these inner satellites are currently uncertain by up to 27 degrees. Color measurements over a very limited wavelength range were obtained only for Proteus. We propose to recover these satellites using the strategy that we used successfully in recovering the inner satellites of Uranus in Cycle 4 Program GO-5321. Deep WFPC2 exposures with wide filters that allow Neptune to saturate, but not bloom significantly, allow detection and, most importantly, precise measurement of positions for calculating accurate mean motions and improved orbital elements. The accurate mean motions and ephemerides will allow the study of dynamical relationships between the satellites and rings and, in future HST cycles, observations of the satellites with NICMOS or other HST instruments. By scheduling the maximum number of exposures in each orbit, B-V and V-I colors can be measured for most of the satellites and supply new information about their compositions. Although not our main objective, the ring arcs of Neptune may be visible on our deeper exposures, as was true for Uranian rings in Program GO-5321. If so, they could finally establish whether the ring arcs are stable over long periods and offer some clues to the composition of the constituent particles.

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