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

在离太阳最远的地方形成并保持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小的天体。它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。这些天文学家将在整个研究过程中观察大约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，可以相互接触。亚利桑那州和智利的望远镜将用于这项研究。这个项目符合国家利益，因为它增加了我们对太阳系中最原始物体的科学知识。首席研究员所在的洛厄尔天文台（Lowell Observatory）将把研究结果纳入他们的公共推广计划，该计划每年将惠及10万多人。研究人员将对动态冷经典（CC）跨海王星天体（TNOs）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、颜色和双星研究建立一个广泛的可见图像数据集。这些数据将被用作这个原始种群形成和演化的示踪剂。他们将定期使用4.3米的探索频道望远镜和6.5米的麦哲伦望远镜，并计划包括几个NOAO设施，以防有有趣的目标。在所有尺寸范围内，视觉星等高达23.5 - 24等的冷经典天体将成为目标，优先考虑潜在接触双星的天体。研究人员计划每年鉴定15 - 20个CCs，在项目结束时产生大约50个对象的样本。通过研究太阳系中这些最原始的天体，研究人员将确定对了解整个TNO种群至关重要的原始约束条件，进而了解我们太阳系和其他行星系统的形成和演化。研究结果将纳入洛厄尔天文台的外展计划，包括每年接待约10万名游客的游客中心，以及“与天文学家会面”和“纳瓦霍-霍皮外展”计划。

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.