Probing small bodies in the outer solar system with stellar occultations

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We present a summary of results from the last decade of stellar occultation studies by members of the MITWilliams consortium. Research goals included investigations of the atmospheres and figures of small bodies in the outer solar system, focusing on Triton, Pluto, and Charon. We concentrated on the prediction, observation, and analysis of stellar occultations by these bodies. The method of observing stellar occultations provides higher spatial resolution than any other Earth-based observing method when examining bodies in the outer solar system. It also allows for direct measurements of atmospheric conditions, if any, as the observed starlight is refracted through the atmospheres of these planetary bodies during the occultation. This large spatial resolution (about 1 km in the atmosphere of Pluto) and direct interaction with any atmosphere allows for great sensitivity to the detailed pressure/temperature structure of a planetary atmosphere, and multiple observations over several years allow the monitoring of changes to that structure.

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