Discovery of close binary trans-Neptunian object
Scientists utilized citizen science network to observe the object

Date:
September 28, 2020
Source:
Southwest Research Institute
Summary:
A new study reveals the binary nature of a trans-Neptunian object
(TNO).



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A new study authored by Southwest Research Institute scientists Rodrigo
Leiva and Marc Buie reveals the binary nature of a trans-Neptunian object (TNO).

Leiva and Buie utilized data obtained by the Research and Education Collaborative Occultation Network (RECON), a citizen science research
net-work dedicated to observing the outer solar system. The study was
published this month in The Astrophysical Journal.


========================================================================== Trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) are small icy bodies that orbit the Sun
beyond Neptune. Binary TNOs occur when two of these objects orbit each
other while together or-biting the Sun. Leiva and Buie discovered two
objects in a particularly close gravitational configuration. The pair
was detected using a stellar occultation, which occurs when an object
passes between Earth and a distant star which hides, or "occults," the
star from view. Observers located in the path of the object's shadow
can record the star blinking out and reappearing. The length of time
that the object blocks the starlight can be used to determine its size.

"In this instance, the occulted star also turned out to be a binary
system.

Binary stars are not unusual and binary objects are not unusual,"
Buie said.

"But it is unusual that we had a binary TNO occulting a binary star."
"What's also interesting and unusual is this object's characteristics,"
Leiva said. "The two components are quite close, only 350 kilometers
apart. Most binary TNOs are very separated, usually 1,000 kilometers or
more. This closeness makes this type of binary TNO difficult to detect
with other methods, which is what RECON was designed to accomplish."
The discovery of the new TNO was made possible by RECON, a collection
of 56 observation stations stretching from Yuma, Arizona, to Orville, Washington. The NSF-funded project provides each station with an array of observation equipment, including 11-inch telescopes. High school teachers
are trained by Leiva, Buie and Fiske Planetarium Director Dr. John Keller
to operate the stations and observe occultations so they can then teach students how to make the same observations. RECON has seen several
students go on to do research related to their observations in college.

"To me this project is citizen science at its best," Buie said. "They're learning as well as making observations and helping to collect
data. If they didn't do this, we wouldn't learn about these objects."
RECON stations are commonly placed in small communities along an ideal
line, from the southern to the northern border of the United States,
for observation of stellar occultations. Eight additional stations were established in Canada in 2018 by colleagues of Leiva and Buie.

Going forward, Leiva and Buie will continue to search for previously
unobserved TNOs, with the aim of discovering whether close binaries are
common or unusual in our Solar System.

"Most models of the Solar System indicate that binaries are very common, particularly close binaries like this one," Leiva said. "If you have
an accurate measurement of how common they are, you can fine tune these models." "Our overarching aim is to know how common close binary TNOs
are," Buie said.

"Is this object one in a million or just like 90% of them? This is fueling
our knowledge for building better models of how the Solar System formed."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Southwest_Research_Institute. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Rodrigo Leiva, Marc W. Buie, John M. Keller, Lawrence H. Wasserman,
JJ
Kavelaars, Terry Bridges, Sean L. Haley, Ryder Strauss, Elizabeth
Wilde, Robert Weryk, Pierre Kervella, Robert Baker, Stephen
Alan Bock, Ken Conway, Juan M. Cota, James J. Estes, Mari'a
L. Garci'a, Matthew Kehrli, Andrew McCandless, Keitha McCandless,
Edgar Self, Cole Settlemire, Diana J. Swanson, Doug Thompson,
J. A. Wise. Stellar Occultation by the Resonant Trans-Neptunian
Object (523764) 2014 WC510 Reveals a Close Binary TNO. The Planetary
Science Journal, 2020; 1 (2): 48 DOI: 10.3847/ PSJ/abb23d ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200928152857.htm

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