Polarimetry of transneptunian objects (136472) Makemake and (90482) Orcus
arXiv:1209.6025 · doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201220202
Abstract
Context. We study the surface properties of transneptunian populations of Solar-system bodies. Aims. We investigate the surface characteristics of the dwarf planet (136472) Makemake and the resonant object (90482) Orcus. Methods. Using the FORS2 instrument of the ESO-VLT we have carried out linear polarisation measurements of Makemake and Orcus. Results. Polarisation of Orcus is similar to that of smaller size objects. The polarimetric properties of Makemake are very close to those of Eris and Pluto. We have not found any significant differences in the polarisation properties of objects from different dynamical classes. However, there are significant differences in polarisation of large and smaller size objects, and between large TNOs with water-ice and methane-ice dominated surfaces. Conclusions. We confirm the different types of polarisation phase behavior for the largest and smaller size TNOs. To explain subtle surface polarisation of Pluto, Makemake and Eris we assume that their surfaces are covered by a thin layer of hoarfrost masking the surface structure.
References in corpus (5)
- "TNOs are Cool": A survey of the trans-Neptunian region X. Analysis of classical Kuiper belt objects from Herschel and Spitzer observations
- Exploring the surface properties of Transneptunian Objects and Centaurs with polarimetric FORS1/VLT observations
- Optical Spectroscopy of the Large Kuiper Belt Objects 136472 (2005 FY9) and 136108 (2003 EL61)
- Discovery of two distinct polarimetric behaviours of trans-Neptunian objects
- Polarimetry of the dwarf planet (136199) Eris
Cited by in corpus (4)
- Discovery of a Makemakean Moon
- Celestial Mechanics and Polarization Optics of the Kordylewski Dust Cloud in the Earth-Moon Lagrange Point L5 Part II. Imaging Polarimetric Observation: New Evidence for the Existence of Kordylewski Dust Cloud
- Probing the regoliths of the classical Uranian satellites: Are their surfaces mantled by a layer of tiny H2O ice grains?
- Long-term photometric monitoring of the dwarf planet (136472) Makemake