A Survey for "Normal" Irregular Satellites Around Neptune: Limits to Completeness

Abstract

We surveyed 1.75 square degrees of sky near Neptune to an R-band 50% detection efficiency of 25.8 mags (corresponding to radii of about 17 km for an assumed albedo of 0.04). We discovered one new outer satellite, Psamathe (S/2003 N1), about 20 km in radius and having a distant retrograde orbit and moderate eccentricity. Until 2003 Neptune was only known to have two satellites which exhibited orbital signatures indicative of capture. Both of these, Triton and Nereid, are unusual when compared to the irregular satellites of other giant planets. With recent discoveries of four additional satellites by Holman et al. (2004) it is now apparent that Neptune has a distant ``normal'' irregular satellite system in which the satellites have radii and orbital properties similar to those of the satellites of other giant planets. We find that the satellite size distribution at Neptune is not well determined given the few objects known to date, being especially sensitive to the inclusion of Triton and Nereid in the sample. Finally, we note that Psamathe and S/2002 N4 have similar semi-major axes, inclinations and eccentricities. They may be fragments of a once larger satellite.

10 pages, 9 figures (6 color), 3 tables; Accepted for the July 2006 Astronomical Journal

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