A New Look at Pluto's Small Satellites: Observations with HST in 2018
Abstract
We recently began a new two-year program to observe the Pluto system with the Hubble Space Telescope. Our goals are (1) to obtain photometry of the system as it passes through almost exact opposition in July 2018 and again in July 2019, and (2) to refine the orbits and rotation states of the four small moons Styx, Nix, Kerberos and Hydra. We will present the latest observations, giving particular emphasis to the second topic. New astrometry should help us to refine our understanding of the many near-resonances in the system and to test the one proposed exact resonance, a three-body interaction between Styx, Nix and Hydra. We will infer the current rotation periods and orientations of the moons via their light curves. We will tie together these results with HST observations from 2010-2015 in order to study the moons' spins, obliquities, and precession rates. Our goal is to evaluate the evidence for spin-orbit couplings and/or chaotic rotation in the Pluto system.
- Publication:
-
AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts #50
- Pub Date:
- October 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018DPS....5031514S