Bibcode
Melita, M. D.; Licandro, J.
Bibliographical reference
Astronomy and Astrophysics, Volume 539, id.A144
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3
2012
Journal
Citations
21
Refereed citations
18
Description
Context. The Centaurs are a transitional population of minor bodies of
the solar system and the evolutionary link between the trans-Neptunian
objects and the short period comets. The surface properties of these
objects are very peculiar, because currently available data suggest that
their visual surface colors divide the population into two distinctive
groups, those with reddish slopes of the visual reflection spectra and
those with neutral spectra. Moreover, some of them are known to posses
comas produced by cometary activity. Aims: We aim to investigate
possible links between the orbital dynamical history and the surface
physical properties of the bodies of this population. Methods: By
means of numerical integrations of the equations of motion we calculated
the orbital evolution of three groups of Centaurs: the Red group, the
Gray group, and the Active group. We looked for statistical differences
in the timescales spent by the objects of each group at heliocentric
distances below certain values that are associated with locations where
certain particular physical processes occur at the surfaces.
Results: We find remarkable differences when we compare the fraction of
objects that penetrate below typical heliocentric distances for each
group. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the observed
bimodality in the distribution of surface colors of the Centaurs is
caused by the different thermal reprocessing on the surface of bodies of
the Red group on one side and the Active and Gray groups on the other.
Centaurs of the Gray group likely had cometary activity, therefore their
color distribution is similar to that of comet nuclei.
Related projects
Minor Bodies of the Solar System
This project studies the physical and compositional properties of the so-called minor bodies of the Solar System, that includes asteroids, icy objects, and comets. Of special interest are the trans-neptunian objects (TNOs), including those considered the most distant objects detected so far (Extreme-TNOs or ETNOs); the comets and the comet-asteroid
Julia de
León Cruz