2010/05/17 by T. G. Müller, T. G. Mueller, E. Lellouch +49
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Astro and Planetary Science #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Spacecraft Dynamics and Control #astro-ph.EP #astro-ph.GA
paper · pdf · doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201014683
5 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in the A&A Herschel Special Issue
arxiv created 2010/05/17 · openalex publication_date 2010/07/01 · arxiv updated 2015/05/19 · openalex created_date 2022/10/03 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
The goal of the <i>Herschel<i/> open time key programme <i>“TNOs are Cool!”<i/> is to derive the physical and thermal properties for a large sample of Centaurs and trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs), including resonant, classical, detached and scattered disk objects. We present results for seven targets either observed in PACS point-source, or in mini scan-map mode. <i>Spitzer<i/>-MIPS observations were included for three objects. The sizes of these targets range from 100 km to almost 1000 km, five have low geometric albedos below 10%, (145480) 2005 TB<sub>190<sub/> has a higher albedo above 15%. Classical thermal models driven by an intermediate beaming factor of <i>η<i/> = 1.2 or <i>η<i/>-values adjusted to the observed colour temperature fit the multi-band observations well in most cases. More sophisticated thermophysical models give very similar diameter and albedo values for thermal inertias in the range 0–25 J m<sup>-2<sup/> s<sup>-0.5<sup/> K<sup>-1<sup/>, consistent with very low heat conductivities at temperatures far away from the Sun. The early experience with observing and model strategies will allow us to derive physical and thermal properties for our complete <i>Herschel<i/> TNO sample of 140 targets as a benchmark for understanding the solar system debris disk, and extra-solar ones as well.