the recent discovery of asteroidal type objects with orbits beyond that of neptune is of considerable importance and has implications for the study of solar system formation. the objects are widely thought to form part of the kuiper belt after g.p. kuiper who first suggested that progressively smaller bodies should exist beyond the known planets. kuiper belt objects (kbos) may therefore be the most pristine objects in our solar system and, in addition, numerical simulations indicate that they may be the source of short period comets. the kbos were discovered at visible wavelengths and have visual magnitudes around 22. the visual magnitude gives the product of the cross-section and the albedo. these parameters cannot however, be separated without the additional information that only iso can provide. by giving the thermal emission of kbos at 100 microns, iso will allow us to separate the visual albedo from the radius and hence obtain fundamental properties of these objects allowing a first comparison with the known properties of cometary nuclei and other small remote bodies. our primary goal is to detect at least one kbo near the peak of its thermal emission (100 microns) using isophot. our secondary goal is to attempt to detect the objects at even longer wavelengths in order to solve in addition for the ir emissivity. our next priority is to survey the 7 brightest kbos based on the assumption that, like cometary nuclei, the surfaces of kbos are of very low albedo. finally, we will seek to compare kbos which might be in a transitional state such as 944 hidalgo, chiron, and 1993 ha2.
Instrument
CAM01 , PHT22
Temporal Coverage
1996-06-06T10:00:09Z/1997-07-13T06:40:34Z
Version
1.0
Mission Description
The Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) was the world's first true orbiting infrared observatory. Equipped with four highly-sophisticated and versatile scientific instruments, it was launched by Ariane in November 1995 and provided astronomers world-wide with a facility of unprecedented sensitivity and capabilities for a detailed exploration of the Universe at infrared wavelengths.
