Issue |
A&A
Volume 385, Number 1, April I 2002
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | 281 - 288 | |
Section | Celestial mechanics and astrometry | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20020077 | |
Published online | 15 April 2002 |
Bicolour lightcurve of TNO
1996 TO
with the ESO-VLT
*
1
European Southern Observatory(ESO), Casilla 19001, Alonso de Cordova 3107, Vitacura, Santiago, Chile e-mail: tsekiguc@eso.org
2
Graduate University for Advanced Studies, National Astronomical Observatory, Osawa 2-21-1, Mitaka, Japan
Corresponding author: T. Sekiguchi, t.sekiguchi@nao.ac.jp
Received:
12
March
2001
Accepted:
15
January
2002
We performed high resolution imaging of 1996 TO66 in V and R band
to verify and monitor the lightcurve change,
to address a colour change over a rotation and
to search for a cometary activity.
No activity was detected at the 29 mag/sq.arcsec level with 5400 s
integration time with the ESO-VLT.
Combining the data in Nov. and Dec. 1999,
we obtained a complete rotation period coverage.
The lightcurve was a single-peaked, with an amplitude of 0.21 mag in R.
The () colour displays the inhomogeneity of TNO surface.
TNO's patchy surface may be cause
the intensity change of water absorption feature in near-IR spectra.
These observations can be the starting points for a challenging work of
surface mapping of TNOs.
Key words: comets: general / comets: individual: activity, nucleus / Kuiper Belt / asteroids
© ESO, 2002
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