Title
Exploration of the kuiper belt by high-precision photometric stellar occultations: first results
Date Issued
01 August 2006
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Roques F.
Doressoundiram A.
Dhillon V.
Marsh T.
Bickerton S.
Kavelaars J.J.
Moncuquet M.
Auvergne M.
Belskaya I.
Chevreton M.
Fernandez A.
Fitzsimmons A.
Lecacheux J.
Mousis O.
Pau S.
Peixinho N.
Tozzi G.P.
Observatoire de Paris
Publisher(s)
American Astronomical Society
Abstract
We report here the first detection of hectometer-size objects by the method of serendipitous stellar occultation. This method consists of recording the diffraction shadow created when an object crosses the observer's line of sight and occults the disk of a background star. One of our detections is most consistent with an object between Saturn and Uranus. The two other diffraction patterns detected are caused by Kuiper Belt objects beyond 100 AU from the Sun and hence are the farthest known objects in the solar system. These detections show that the Kuiper Belt is much more extended than previously believed and that the outer part of the disk could be composed of smaller objects than the inner part. This gives critical clues to understanding the problem of the formation of the outer planets of the solar system. © 2006. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.
Start page
819
End page
822
Volume
132
Issue
2
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Astronomía
Subjects
DOI
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-33749024712
Source
Astronomical Journal
ISSN of the container
00046256
Sponsor(s)
Science and Technology Facilities Council - PP/D002370/1 - STFC
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus