| Issue |
A&A
Volume 415, Number 2, February IV 2004
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Page(s) | 771 - 775 | |
| Section | Planets and planetary systems | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20035603 | |
| Published online | 11 February 2004 | |
Size estimates of some optically bright KBOs
Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie (MPIfR), Auf dem Hügel 69, 53121 Bonn, Germany e-mail: waltenhoff@mpifr-bonn.mpg.de
Corresponding author: W. J. Altenhoff, waltenhoff@mpifr-bonn.mpg.de
Received:
30
October
2003
Accepted:
10
November
2003
Seven recently detected optically “bright”
Kuiper-Belt-Objects (KBOs) were observed at 250 GHz using the
Max-Planck Millimeter Bolometer (MAMBO) array at the IRAM 30 m
telescope. Only the optical binary KBO (47 171) 1999 TC36
was detected, whose components differ optically by
mag. Assuming that the derived mean geometric
albedo of 
is identical for both,
the component diameters become 566 and 225 km.
For the other six objects upper limits to their sizes and
lower limits for their albedos were obtained. The geometric albedo,
p, for (28978) Ixion is surprisingly large, ≥0.15. For a consistent
comparison all published radio photometric data of KBOs and Centaurs
were analyzed again: the average geometric albedo
is found to be ≈0.08.
Key words: minor planets / radio continuum: solar system
© ESO, 2004
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