Pedro Lacerda and David C. Jewitt 2007 The Astronomical Journal 133 1393 doi:10.1086/511772
Densities of Solar System Objects from Their Rotational Light Curves
FREE ISSUEPedro Lacerda1,2 and David C. Jewitt1
Show affiliationsWe present models of the shapes of four Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs) and the Jovian Trojan asteroid (624) Hektor as ellipsoidal figures of equilibrium and Roche binaries. Our simulations select those figures of equilibrium whose light curves best match the measured rotational data. The best-fit shapes, combined with the knowledge of the spin period of the objects, provide estimates of the bulk densities of these objects. We find that the light curves of KBOs (20000) Varuna and 2003 EL61 are well matched by Jacobi triaxial ellipsoid models with bulk densities 992
and 2551
kg m-3, respectively. The light curves of (624) Hektor and KBO 2001 QG298 are well described by Roche contact-binary models with densities 2480
and 590
kg m-3, respectively. The nature of 2000 GN171 remains unclear: Roche binary and Jacobi ellipsoid fits to this KBO are equivalent but predict different densities, ~2000 and ~650 kg m-3, respectively. Our density estimates suggest a trend of increasing density with size.
- Keywords
Kuiper Belt; minor planets, asteroids; solar system: general
- Dates
-
Issue 4 (2007 April)
Received 2006 October 6, accepted for publication 2006 December 1
Published 2007 February 26
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Densities of Solar System Objects from Their Rotational Light Curves
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