2008/05/22 by S. A. Stern · 1 citation
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Physics and Astronomy · #Albedo (alchemy) #Asteroid #Astro and Planetary Science #Astrobiology #Astronomy #Ejecta #Geological and Geochemical Analysis #Geology #Impact crater #Physics #Planetary Science and Exploration #Pluto #Regolith #Solar System #Supernova #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2008.10.006
8 pages, 3 tables, 0 figures
arxiv created 2008/05/22 · openalex publication_date 2008/11/13 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We examine the ability of impacts by Kuiper Belt debris to cause regolith exchange between objects in the Pluto system. We find that ejecta velocities from KB impacts are too low to escape from Pluto and Charon. However, ejecta can escape Nix and Hydra, and is capable of covering one another to depths as high as 10s of meters, and Charon and Pluto, perhaps to depths up to several 10s of cm. Although Pluto's annual atmospheric frost deposition cycle will cover such imported debris on timescales faster than it is emplaced, no such masking mechanism is available on Hydra, Nix, and Charon. As a result, ejecta exchange between these bodies is expected to evolve their colors, albedos, and other photometric properties to be similar. We examined the ability of ejecta exchange to work for other Kuiper Belt binaries and found the process can be effective in many cases. This process may also operate in asteroid binary systems.