A Two-Color Map of Pluto's Sub-Charon Hemisphere

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© 2001. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.
, , Citation Eliot F. Young et al 2001 AJ 121 552 DOI 10.1086/318008

1538-3881/121/1/552

Abstract

Pluto and its satellite Charon regularly occulted or transited each other's disks from 1985 through 1990. The light curves resulting from these events (collectively called "mutual events") have been used to determine albedo maps of Pluto's sub-Charon hemisphere. We now use a data set of four light curves that were obtained in both B and V Johnson filters to construct a two-color map of Pluto's surface. We are able to resolve the central part of Pluto's sub-Charon hemisphere. We find that the dark albedo feature that forms a band below Pluto's equator is comprised of several distinct color units. We detect ratios of V-filter/B-filter normal reflectances ranging from ∼1.15 to ∼1.39 on Pluto's sub-Charon hemisphere.

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10.1086/318008