Other
Scientific paper
Oct 2007
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007dps....39.4910s&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #39, #49.10; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 39, p.511
Other
Scientific paper
While it has long been expected that large and cold bodies in the outer solar system should have the potential of retaining their volatile ices, the recent proliferation of new discoveries in the Kuiper Belt provides us with a range of bodies with varying sizes and orbits on which to test predictions of volatile loss and retention. Recent discoveries have shown that three of the largest Kuiper Belt objects - Eris, 2005 FY9, and Sedna - are coated in methane and may contain other volatile ices as well. New detailed observations show that even within this class of volatile-rich bodies, unexpected differences exist in their surface compositions.
We have constructed a simple model of atmospheric escape that allows us to predict which bodies should be capable of retaining which surface volatile ices to the present day (Schaller & Brown 2007). We present new high-resolution infrared spectra of Eris, 2005 FY9, and Quaoar obtained with NIRSPEC on the Keck Telescope. These spectra provide new constraints on the presence of volatile ices on the surfaces of these bodies.
Brown Michael E.
Schaller Emily L.
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