Computer Science
Scientific paper
Aug 1999
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1999noao.prop..208h&link_type=abstract
NOAO Proposal ID #1999B-0208
Computer Science
Scientific paper
Observations of the Kuiper belt, a disk of planetesimals of cometary composition beyond the orbit of Neptune, will usefully constrain models of the formation of the outer solar system. The orbital distribution of these objects is a signature of the late accretion stages of the giant planets and of great relevance to theories of comet delivery (Duncan and Levison 1997). We will use KPNO Mosaic camera to obtain deep, R=26.0-26.5, images of fields with ecliptic latitudes of 0, 10, 20, and 30 degrees to address the following questions: (i) what is the shape of the luminosity function of the Kuiper belt from m_R=24.5-26.5? (ii) how does the sky density of the belt vary with ecliptic latitude? (iii) does the belt extend beyond 50 AU from the Sun? The high surface density of objects at these magnitudes (estimated from our previous work) should yield ~30-70 Kuiper belt comets per ecliptic field, firmly establishing the luminosity function. Examining the variation with ecliptic latitude will determine how the surface density of objects decays with distance from the ecliptic, giving a direct measure of the inclination distribution. The faint limiting magnitude of these pencil- beam observations will permit us to detect more distant Kuiper belt objects and address the question of the radial extent of the belt.
Gladman Brett
Holman Matthew J.
Kavelaars John J.
No associations
LandOfFree
The Luminosity Function of the Kuiper Belt does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with The Luminosity Function of the Kuiper Belt, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and The Luminosity Function of the Kuiper Belt will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1015917