Direct measurement of the size of 2003 UB313 from the Hubble Space Telescope
Direct measurement of the size of 2003 UB313 from the Hubble Space Telescope
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DOI：
10.1086/504843
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发表时间：
2006-05-20
影响因子：
4.9
通讯作者：
Trujillo, C. A.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Brown, M. E.;Schaller, E. L.;Trujillo, C. A.
我们使用哈勃太空望远镜直接测量了大型柯伊伯带天体2003 UB 313的角尺寸。通过仔细校准附近一颗场星星的点扩散函数，我们测量出2003 UB 313的大小为34.3 +/- 1.4质量，相当于2400 +/- 100公里的直径或比冥王星大5%的大小。2003年UB 313的V波段几何重复系数为86% ± 7%。极高的甲烷吸收度与2003 UB 313表面的甲烷光谱、缺乏红色以及缺乏观测到的光度变化相一致。甲烷的光解作用应该很快使2003 UB 313的表面变暗，但表面冰的持续蒸发和再沉积似乎能够维持这个天体的极端黑暗。
We have used the Hubble Space Telescope to directly measure the angular size of the large Kuiper Belt object 2003 UB313. By carefully calibrating the point-spread function of a nearby field star, we measure the size of 2003 UB313 to be 34.3 +/- 1.4 mas, corresponding to a diameter of 2400 +/- 100 km or a size similar to 5% larger than Pluto. The V-band geometric albedo of 2003 UB313 is 86% +/- 7%. The extremely high albedo is consistent with the frosty methane spectrum, the lack of red coloring, and the lack of observed photometric variation on the surface of 2003 UB313. Methane photolysis should quickly darken the surface of 2003 UB313, but continuous evaporation and redeposition of surface ices appears capable of maintaining the extreme albedo of this body.