Comprehensive Study of the Most Pristine Objects Known in the Outer Solar System

外太阳系已知最原始天体的综合研究

• 批准号: 1734484
• 负责人: Audrey Thirouin
• 金额: $ 28.88万
• 依托单位: Lowell Observatory
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2017-09-01 至 2022-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1734484&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Comprehensive; Study; Most; Pristine; Objects

The Solar System objects that formed farthest away from the Sun and remained in these locations are also the objects least changed over the long period of time since they were formed. They likely still keep clues to the conditions at the time of the formation of the Solar System. These conditions could also be present in other planetary systems. These astronomers will observe about 50 of these objects over the life of the study to learn about the characteristics of the objects, including their shape, the rate they spin, their coloring, and whether two objects formed close enough to touch each other. Telescopes in Arizona and Chile will be used in the study. This project serves the national interest as it increases our scientific knowledge about the most pristine objects in the Solar System. The Principal Investigator's home institution, Lowell Observatory, will include the results in their public outreach programs, which reach well over 100,000 people per year.The investigators will conduct a comprehensive observational study of the dynamically Cold Classical (CC) trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) to understand their formation, evolution, composition, and rotational properties. They will build an extensive data set of visible images for astrometry, lightcurve, color, and binary object study. These data will be used as tracers of the formation and evolution of this pristine population. They will regularly use the 4.3-m Discovery Channel Telescope and the 6.5-m Magellan Telescope and plan to include several NOAO facilities in case of interesting targets. Cold Classical objects with a visual magnitude up to 23.5 - 24 mag in all size ranges will be targeted, with priority given to objects that are potentially contact binaries. The investigators plan to characterize 15 - 20 CCs per year, resulting in a sample of about 50 objects at the end of the project. By studying these most pristine objects in the Solar System, the investigators will determine primordial constraints crucially needed to understand the entire TNO population, and, by extension, the formation and evolution of both our own Solar System and other planetary systems. Results from the research will be incorporated into Lowell Observatory outreach programs including the visitor center which receives about 100,000 visitors every year, as well as the "Meet An Astronomer" and the "Navajo-Hopi outreach" programs.

距太阳最远且保留在这些位置的太阳系天体也是自形成以来很长一段时间内变化最少的天体。 他们可能仍然保留着太阳系形成时条件的线索。 这些条件也可能存在于其他行星系统中。 这些天文学家将在研究期间观察大约 50 个这样的物体，以了解这些物体的特征，包括它们的形状、旋转速度、颜色，以及两个物体是否形成得足够近以相互接触。 这项研究将使用亚利桑那州和智利的望远镜。 该项目符合国家利益，因为它增加了我们对太阳系最原始物体的科学知识。 首席研究员所在机构洛厄尔天文台将把研究结果纳入其公共推广计划，每年惠及超过 10 万人。研究人员将对动态冷经典 (CC) 跨海王星天体 (TNO) 进行全面的观测研究，以了解它们的形成、演化、组成和旋转特性。 他们将为天体测量、光曲线、颜色和二元物体研究建立一个广泛的可见图像数据集。 这些数据将用作这个原始种群的形成和进化的示踪剂。 他们将定期使用 4.3 米探索频道望远镜和 6.5 米麦哲伦望远镜，并计划包括多个 NOAO 设施，以应对感兴趣的目标。 所有尺寸范围内视觉星等高达 23.5 - 24 星等的冷古典天体将成为目标，优先考虑潜在接触双星的天体。 研究人员计划每年描述 15 - 20 个 CC 的特征，从而在项目结束时获得约 50 个物体的样本。 通过研究太阳系中这些最原始的天体，研究人员将确定了解整个海王星天体种群以及进而了解我们太阳系和其他行星系统的形成和演化所必需的原始约束。 研究结果将纳入洛厄尔天文台的外展项目，包括每年接待约 10 万名游客的游客中心，以及“会见天文学家”和“纳瓦霍-霍皮外展”项目。

项目成果

Colors of Trans-Neptunian Contact Binaries

跨海王星接触双星的颜色

• DOI: 10.3847/1538-3881/ab27bc
• 发表时间: 2019
• 期刊: The Astronomical Journal
• 作者: Thirouin, Audrey;Sheppard, Scott S.
• 通讯作者: Sheppard, Scott S.

The Plutino Population: An Abundance of Contact Binaries

冥王星种群：大量的接触双星

• DOI: 10.3847/1538-3881/aac0ff
• 发表时间: 2018
• 期刊: The Astronomical journal
• 作者: Thirouin, A;Sheppard, S.S.
• 通讯作者: Sheppard, S.S.

Trans-Neptunian binaries (2018)

• DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-816490-7.00009-6
• 发表时间: 2020-02
• 期刊: arXiv: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
• 作者: K. Noll;W. Grundy;D. Nesvorný;A. Thirouin

From Centaurs to comets: 40 Years

从半人马座到彗星：40 年

• 发表时间: 2019
• 期刊: The Trans-Neptunian Solar System
• 作者: N. Peixinho;A. Thirouin;S. Tegler;R. Sisto;A. Delsanti;A. Guilbert;James G. Bauer
• 通讯作者: James G. Bauer

Lightcurves and Rotations of Trans-Neptunian Objects in the 2:1 Mean Motion Resonance with Neptune

与海王星 2:1 平均运动共振中海王星外天体的光曲线和旋转

• DOI: 10.3847/psj/ac7ab8
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: The Planetary Science Journal
• 作者: Thirouin, Audrey;Sheppard, Scott S.
• 通讯作者: Sheppard, Scott S.