FIRST ULTRAVIOLET REFLECTANCE SPECTRA OF PLUTO AND CHARON BY THEHUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPECOSMIC ORIGINS SPECTROGRAPH: DETECTION OF ABSORPTION FEATURES AND EVIDENCE FOR TEMPORAL CHANGE

2011/12/09 by S. A. Stern, Nathaniel J. Cunningham, M. J. Hain +2 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Albedo (alchemy) #Astro and Planetary Science #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Hubble space telescope #Physics #Planetary Science and Exploration #Pluto #Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph #Spectral line #Spectral slope #Spectrograph #Stars

paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/0004-6256/143/1/22

openalex publication_date 2011/12/09 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31

Abstract

We have observed the mid-UV spectra of both Pluto and its large satellite, Charon, at two rotational epochs using the Hubble Space Telescope ( HST ) Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) in 2010. These are the first HST /COS measurements of Pluto and Charon. Here we describe the observations and our reduction of them, and present the albedo spectra, average mid-UV albedos, and albedo slopes we derive from these data. These data reveal evidence for a strong absorption feature in the mid-UV spectrum of Pluto; evidence for temporal change in Pluto's spectrum since the 1990s is reported, and indirect evidence for a near-UV spectral absorption on Charon is also reported.

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